


Spider-Man: The Way Of All Flesh

by Spideyfan62



Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avenger Peter Parker, Awesome Michelle Jones, But Not For Peter, Evil Scientists - Freeform, F/M, Gen, Is It Actually Fury And Hill This Time?, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spideychelle, Spring Break, The Poor Kid Just Needs A Break, guess we'll find out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26221663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: The next morning, Peter's alarm woke him up at 6, but since he had gone to bed at 10, he actually felt pretty refreshed, despite the early hour. The excitement of the day probably didn't hurt anything either. He quickly got dressed and began gathering his things. He had finished double checking and making sure he had everything he needed, when he heard the exact noise he really, really hoped he wouldn't hear that morning: the vibrating of his phone.Peter closed his eyes and let out a breath. Maybe he was actually overreacting, and it was actually just M.J. or Ned calling him about something. However, when he looked over and saw that it instead was a call from an unknown number, two words immediately went through Peter's mind:"Not again."
Relationships: Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, May Parker/Happy Hogan (Mentioned), Michelle Jones & Peter Parker & Ned Leeds & Betty Brant, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Nick Fury & Maria Hill
Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761355
Comments: 28
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this chapter: Peter wraps some things up before preparing for spring break, but gets an unpleasant surprise on the morning he's set to leave for a trip.

Peter couldn't finish up his work at the lab fast enough. Normally, he would almost be sad to leave, but his class was leaving for a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in the morning. The lab had certainly kept both him and Dr. Connors busy in the wake of Max's accident over a month prior, but the most recent results on their experiments involving plant life had been so successful that Connors had encouraged Peter to take the week off and enjoy himself. 

The truth of the matter was that he certainly needed a break. In addition to the work at the lab, Peter had been busy helping Yuri bust one of the Maggia crime families, doing school and trying to help out more at the community center May worked at. He was exhausted and also a little frustrated with himself for not making as much time for M.J. or Ned recently. All of this, combined with both Connors' and May's pleading, had finally convinced him to go on the trip. The sound of spending a week on a beach with his friends certainly sounded like just the rejuvenation he needed. 

Peter completed his final task of the evening, the daily report of the lab's activities, grabbed his backpack and approached Connors, who was outside finishing one last check on the day's work. 

"Doc," Peter started, "are you sure you don't..."

Peter," Connors said, turning on his side to address Peter face to face, "I've got it covered. Like I said, things will be slower this week anyway since I'll have to wait for the new shipments of seeds to come in. Besides, you need this." 

Peter let his head slump downward for a moment, almost as if he was conceding defeat. 

"Alright Doc," Peter replied. 

"You've done more over the last month than I could thank you for; now you go and enjoy yourself this week, alright?" Connors said. "I can't tell you what I wouldn't give some days to be your age again."

"Yes sir," Peter said, smiling. "Goodnight, Doc." 

As he walked out the door, Peter was thinking about what Connors said about enjoying himself. The truth was, he hadn't had too much time to do that during his senior year. This was supposed to be his last hurrah before heading off and making his mark on the world, but he had spent most of it fighting thugs, sand people, weirdos on gliders, and so much more while also dealing with one personal issue after another. He wasn't necessarily complaining, at least when it came to Spider-Man. By now, he had gotten into a pretty solid routine with it and he was getting better and better everyday. However, the best part about putting on the suit was that he was finally starting to see an overall positive effect on the city. He couldn't really explain it other than to say that, particularly recently, the city just seemed a little more alive, a little more hopeful, when he was out on patrol. This was all he ever wanted since he became Spider-Man: to look out for the little guy and to give at least a little hope to whoever he could. 

However, he had to admit that the events over the last year were collectively starting to wear him down. So much had happened and his two worlds had bled into each other repeatedly. May and M.J. both had started to take notice, and May in particular had been adamant on him taking the trip, insisting that New York, along with the rest of the world would be fine for a week. Peter wasn't as sure, but finally conceded. 

Peter went straight from the lab to the community center, heading up to May's office. 

"Anybody home?" Peter asked as he gave a couple knocks on the already open office door. 

"Hey," May said, getting up from behind her desk and walking towards Peter. "Here to save the day again, are you?"

"You know me," Peter teased, giving his aunt a knowing wink. 

"Actually, there is one thing in particular you can do," May said, "the TV downstairs is acting up again; the guys down there won't let me here the end of it."

"Ah yes," Peter said, rolling his head around at the familiar situation, "the classic situation: the picture comes in a little funny, they think banging the TV is going to help, then the problem gets worse..."

"One of these days, I'm just going to get that thing replaced," May said, her voice a little exasperated, "but in the mean time..."

"I'm on it," Peter said, giving a mock salute before turning and heading out of the office, dropping his backpack against the wall on the way out. He promptly made his way downstairs, where he found a couple of men practically trying to beat the TV into submission. 

"Oh, Peter," one of the men said, "thank goodness. This darn thing is acting up again."

"Probably just that loose coax cable again," Peter said as he walked up to the TV. "Give me just a second." Reaching back behind the device, he fiddled around with the cable, finally getting it just tight enough again, allowing the picture to come in clearly once again. 

"You're a miracle worker kid," one of the men said. 

"Just glad to help," Peter replied, though he still took a slight mock bow at their complement. By now, he had developed a solid back and forth with a lot of the people who came through the place, and everyone who even encountered May there ended up learning all about him at some point. He just wished he was better at actually remembering names; faces were one thing, but there were so many people that even his big brain was overwhelmed. 

He then excused himself, walking back to check to see if Joan was at her usual table in the common area upstairs. M.J. had passed on the message for a while that he should pay her a visit again, but, like a lot of other things recently, he hadn't found the time. Sure enough, there was the older woman, sitting in her usual place, reading a book. 

"Hey Ms. Joan," Peter said, smiling as he walked up to her. 

"Young man," Joan began, not even looking up from the book as she addressed him, "while I appreciate your courtesy, like I've said before, please just call me Joan. I can practically feel my years when someone adds 'Miss' before my name."

"Of course," Peter replied. "Sorry. How've you been?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you," Joan replied, setting the book down finally and making eye contact with Peter. "Just enjoying life same as usual. Your aunt tells me you're going on a trip soon?"

"Yes ma'am," Peter replied, taking a seat across from her. "My friends and I are leaving tomorrow." 

"I take it your girlfriend is going as well?" Joan asked. 

"She is," Peter answered. 

"That's good," Joan responded. "It'll give me some time to think of some new chess tricks. She seems to be getting wise to my old ones." 

Peter chuckled. "She's definitely good, but surely she hasn't been beating you that much?"

"More than I care to admit," Joan replied. "She also tells me that you two have been betting things on your school tests results recently?" 

"Yeah," Peter admitted. "Usually just stuff like where we go for our next date and stuff." 

"It's good to see two young people having so much fun while still pushing each other," Joan said, the woman's smile seemingly lighting up the whole room. Her look then shifted to a more teasing one. "She also tells me she's gonna beat you out for valedictorian." 

"That's what she thinks," Peter answered. "I'm confident and I can hold her off." 

"Are you sure about that?" came a voice from behind Peter. He didn't even turn around right away, the smug, sarcastic and confident voice telling him exactly who this conversational intruder was.

"That's right," Peter replied, finally glancing around to see M.J, who was giving him her trademarked narrow eyed and inquisitive stare. 

"Alright then," M.J, said, coming up next to Peter, still staring down at him. "Just don't come crying to me when I'm the one accepting that honor in a couple months." 

"Okay you two," Joan said, drawing Peter's attention her way once more. "Don't over do it now." 

"Yes ma'am," Peter and M.J. both replied, causing them to briefly glance at each other in surprise. They both chatted with Joan for a little longer before they went to May's office. 

"Alright May, I'm gonna walk M.J. home," Peter said from just outside the door, "After that, I'm gonna hang out in the city for a bit then head home." Hangout, of course, was his subtle way of saying he was going out as Spider-Man. 

"Okay dear," May replied, "I have to finish these invoices, but it shouldn't be too long." 

After that, Peter and M.J. started for her and her mom's apartment. 

"How are things going with Deja?" Peter asked as they walked along the sidewalk. 

"Pretty good," M.J. said. "We've been having a lot of fun recently, and she's doing pretty well with her homework now, but she's still not really opening up too much." 

"Give her time," Peter insisted. "She has to do it at her own pace." 

"I know," M.J. insisted. "The lab still going well?" 

"Yeah," Peter said, "Connors was really enthusiastic of our most recent results, and I have to say, I can't blame him. I'm finally starting to think we may really be onto something special here."

"Cool," M.J. replied. "Now, the real question is, are you ready for school trip attempt number 2?" 

"I think so," Peter said. "You know, assuming that something doesn't happen between tonight and tomorrow to pull me away at the last moment." He had to admit, he had been dreading that thought for the last week. So far, there was no call from Fury or Hill, and no super villain was threatening the city, but the idea of one of those things was just sitting in the back of Peter's head, constantly poking at his brain to remind him it was there. 

"Who knows," M.J. said, pulling him back to the moment, "maybe this time..."

"Please don't jinx it," Peter said quickly. 

"Okay, I won't," M.J. said, her hands up in mock surrender. 

"How many books are you planning to read on the beach?" Peter asked her. 

M.J. hesitated a moment before responding: "None." 

"Uh, I'm sorry, what?" Peter asked, skepticism written on his face. 

"I'm trying to take it as a personal challenge to actually spend this week interacting with people." 

"M.J, you are the most amazing, capable persona I know," Peter said, "but you are definitely going to regret not bringing a book by at minimum the third day." 

"No I won't," M.J. said defiantly. 

"Yes you will," Peter replied. "Besides, if something does happen, do you really want to be stuck hanging around Betty and Ned all week?"

M.J. visibly shivered at his words. "Yeah, you're probably right, even if you are actually going to make it through the week this time."

"I sure hope you're right," Peter replied. 

Not long after that, they finally reached M.J.'s apartment door. For a moment, Peter just stared at her, longingly. 

"What?" M.J. asked, a smile spreading across her face at the word. 

"I love you," Peter said, his own smile threatening to stay on his face permanently. 

"You're a dork," M.J. replied, but Peter could tell by her smile and blush that she loved hearing those words. "But, I love you too." 

They gave each other a quick kiss goodnight before M.J. let herself in the door, smiling pleasantly at Peter as she closed it back. It took a moment, but Peter finally started to slowly shuffle off, M.J. having once again thrown off his senses and forced his brain into restart mode. After finally fully regathering himself, Peter headed out into the city as Spider-Man. For the first night in a while, all was quiet, so he ended up only being out for about an hour before heading home. He didn't mind the thought of going to bed early, seeing as the bus taking him and the others to South Carolina was leaving bright and early at 7:00 A.M. the next morning. 

Peter climbed through the window of his bedroom, promptly ditching his suit and enjoying a good, hot shower before slipping on his pajamas for the night. He went downstairs to go get a quick snack before bed, where he found May sitting on the couch in the living room. 

"There you are; ready for the trip tomorrow?" May asked. 

"Yeah," Peter replied, opening a cabinet door to look at his options, settling on making a peanut butter sandwich. "You know, pending something coming..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," May said, and Peter could here her footsteps, indicating she had got up from the couch. "You deserve this trip, maybe even more than last time." 

"I appreciate that May," Peter responded, deciding to switch subjects as he finished making his sandwich. "So, how are things going with Happy?" he asked as he walked over to take a seat at the counter, where May had taken a seat at as well. 

"Pretty good," she said, actually managing to keep eye contact with him when she said it. "We're taking it slow, but things...things seem to be going well so far."

"Awesome," Peter said as he sat down. 

"What about M.J?" May asked, ever the nosy aunt regarding her nephew's love life. "Is she excited for the trip?" 

"Yeah," Peter said, trying to lick the peanut butter than had gotten stuck at the top of his mouth after just the first bite. May's chuckling wasn't helping the situation either. 

"Well, you just make sure you actually enjoy yourself," May insisted, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Try not to worry about what's going on back here, or anywhere else for that matter." 

"I'll do my best," Peter said, taking another bite. 

The next morning, Peter's alarm woke him up at 6, but since he had gone to bed at 10, he actually felt pretty refreshed, despite the early hour. The excitement of the day probably didn't hurt anything either. He quickly got dressed and began gathering his things. He had finished double checking and making sure he had everything he needed, when he heard the exact noise he really, really hoped he wouldn't hear that morning: the vibrating of his phone. 

Peter closed his eyes and let out a breath. Maybe he was actually overreacting, and it was actually just M.J. or Ned calling him about something. However, when he looked over and saw that it instead was a call from an unknown number, two words immediately went through Peter's mind: 

"Not again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Parker," came the voice of Nick Fury, "we need your help on another mission. How soon can you make it to the Avengers building upstate?" 
> 
> Peter rolled his head back and sighed quietly. Part of him really wanted to say that he couldn't make it; that Fury had no business raining on his parade, or trip, for a SECOND time. He also remembered what happened last time he resisted: he had only been dragged along anyway, and his classmates were thrown into the fray as well. He couldn't risk their safety again. Plus, this whole year had reminded him just how much Spider-Man was needed. Sure, his web swinging exploits had taken place entirely in New York, but he knew the rest of the world would come calling again one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter speaks with Fury and speaks with May and his friends before leaving.

Peter reached down and picked up his phone, staring at it for just a moment before answering. 

"Hello?" he said. 

"Parker," came the voice of Nick Fury, "we need your help on another mission. How soon can you make it to the Avengers building upstate?" 

Peter rolled his head back and sighed quietly. Part of him really wanted to say that he couldn't make it; that Fury had no business raining on his parade, or trip, for a SECOND time. He also remembered what happened last time he resisted: he had only been dragged along anyway, and his classmates were thrown into the fray as well. He couldn't risk their safety again. Plus, this whole year had reminded him just how much Spider-Man was needed. Sure, his web swinging exploits had taken place entirely in New York, but he knew the rest of the world would come calling again one day. 

"I'm going to have to let some people know I've got something I have to do," Peter said, trying to carefully phrase his answer so as to not sound too bitter towards Fury. "Give me a couple of hours, and I'll be there."

"You have one," Fury replied, then the line went dead. 

As Peter lowered his phone from his ear down to his side, he took one last look at his packed bag of clothes and other necessities, which now represented nothing more than a crushed hope of enjoying a week with his friends. 

"Peter," he suddenly heard May say from the doorway, "M.J, Ned and Betty are all here. Come on, we're running late." 

Peter turned to look at his aunt, and recognition instantly covered her face. 

"Oh no," she said, walking further into the room until she was right in front of Peter, "don't tell me that..."

"Yep," was all Peter could say. 

"You know you could've said no," May said. 

"I know," he replied, "but then it'd be someone else that would be roped into some crazy mission. I can't allow that, May." 

May looked down for a moment. Peter could tell that she knew he was right, but it was a tough thing for her to swallow. 

"Are you taking off from here?" she asked, looking up at him again. 

"Yeah," he replied. "Fury didn't give me a lot of time." 

"Okay," she replied, then walked forward and pulled him into a tight hug. Peter thought about saying something to assure her that he'd be okay, but he knew that it wouldn't help anything. May was both an optimist and a realist; she tried to think positive as best she could, but she also didn't want any assurances that couldn't absolutely be backed up as well. 

"I'll let you get changed," she said as she separated from him and walked out of the room. Peter quickly discarded what he was wearing and threw on his suit, not wanting to keep any parties waiting. He left his mask off as he jogged down to the main room, where M.J, Ned, and Betty turned to greet him. M.J. and Ned's faces fell when they saw him. 

"Why are you dressed in your suit?" Betty asked, clearly still not used to the situation. The other two guests in the apartment looked at her, and realization suddenly flooded her eyes. "Oh," she said, "you mean..."

"I'm not coming with you guys," Peter said. 

"What happened?" Ned asked. 

"Fury called me," Peter answered as he wrung his gloved hands together. "He was a little vague with the details, but something's going down and he needs my help." 

"Did you ask him if he could get someone else?" Betty asked. Peter let out a chuckle at her naive question. He didn't blame her though; she had only known his secret for a little over a month, and this was the first time anything like this had come up in that time. 

"Betty, it doesn't work like that," Peter said, walking closer to the three of them. "Look, I came down here to tell you guys not to worry about me and to have a good time this week. I expect to hear some great stories about how Ned couldn't keep up with you two ladies," he added, winking at his best friend. 

"Oh that's how it is," Ned said as he got up and wrapped Peter in a bear hug, which the latter gladly reciprocated.

"Hey, just look at this as your chance to prove me wrong," Peter replied as the two of them separated. Ned chuckled in response. 

"Look man," Peter's best friend said, "whatever's going on out there, you got this, alright?" 

"I know," Peter replied, smiling at his best friend's assurance. 

"There is the issue of what we tell Mr. Harrington about why you're not coming," Ned pointed out. "Should we just go with the usual?"

"That I'm sick?" Peter replied. He took just a moment to try and think of something different than the one he or Ned had used for his frequent abscesses or disappearances more than anything else, but nothing came to mind. "Sure," he said reluctantly. He then made up his mind that when he got back, and he was going to sit down and right out a list of different excuses to have on hand so that he wouldn't look like a wimp with a weak immune system (which was basically what he was before the bite, if he was honest). 

Peter then noticed Ned look to M.J, then back to him. "Come on, Betty," Ned said, moving to gather his stuff, let's head out to the car. Betty looked at Ned a bit confused for a second at Ned's sudden urgency to leave, before looking over at M.J, then at Peter, and it all suddenly seemed to click in her head. Peter and Ned quickly performed their ritual best buds handshake before the two of them both walked out, with May right behind.

Once he had shut the door behind the three of them, Peter turned to M.J, who was wearing the same quiet, almost sorrowful expression she had been wearing since Peter had walked into the room. 

"I'm sorry," Peter said, walking over to her. 

"I know," M.J. replied, looking up to him. "It's just..."

"I was looking forward to it too," Peter said, and he could tell by the look in his girlfriend's eyes that he had indeed guessed the last part of her thought accurately. 

"I'm sorry," M.J. said, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sure that doesn't help." 

They then pulled each other into a tight embrace. Neither one of them said anything for a good minute as they just stood there, holding each other as if they would never see each other again. Peter wholly believed he would make it back from whatever danger lied ahead of him, but he also wasn't naive to the much higher level of danger an Avengers related mission entailed compared to his usual evening patrols out in the city. However, standing here, clutching the girl he loved in his arms...it was easy to have second thoughts about going at all, but he quickly put those thoughts away. Peter was determined to honor his responsibilities, however inconvenient they may be. 

When they pulled away, M.J. put her hands on his cheeks, with his hands holding her waist. 

"Go," M.J. said. "Do what you do best." Her face was full of resolve and fierce determination, clearly holding at bay whatever feelings of fear and concern she had. She was so strong, maybe the strongest person Peter had ever met, and equally supportive of him. She had always been that way though; ever since they had started dating 9 months ago, M.J. never once complained or pleaded with Peter to stay with her instead of fulfilling his responsibilities. It clearly bothered her that he had to risk his life at all, which crushed Peter's heart anytime he even thought about it, but she had never wavered. She seemed to understand in her bones why he had to do what he did, and that was one of the many, many reasons why he loved her. 

Their lips met in an easy but deep kiss, Peter allowing himself to be transported to a reality where he had no responsibilities of any kind as they held it. That reality was shattered as soon as they parted. 

"I love you," he said, staring into her dark eyes. 

"I love you too," M.J. replied. They pulled each other into one last hug before finally separating. 

"Keep me posted on how things are going if you can," she said in a more authoritative tone. 

"Yes ma'am," Peter said, just the slightest bit of teasing in his voice. He then could only watch as M.J. grabbed her bags and walked out the door, her eyes meeting his for as long as possible before fully closing it. 

Peter let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. They were gone, and he wasn't going with them. That reality now fully settled into his mind as he shuffled his way back up stairs to make his usual Spider-Man style exit via his bedroom window. He slipped on his mask and took a step onto his window, but hesitated for a moment. Once more the thought of calling Fury back and telling him to find someone else crossed his mind, but he once more put that thought away. Aside from the fact that he didn't want anyone else getting involved if they didn't have to, Peter knew there had to be a reason that Fury had called him specifically. 

His mind resolved to the matter, Peter launched himself out his window, firing a web and swinging off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter wasn't quite as long as I'd hoped, but I wanted this one to focus on Peter saying goodbye to everyone before his mission. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it! Of course, feedback is always welcome. Whether you loved or hate it, I always appreciate details, so I have an idea of things to potentially keep/discard as I continue to learn the ways of writing. 
> 
> My prayers for you all; please stay safe and healthy (physically, emotionally, etc,) during this crazy time. 
> 
> "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened..." Matthew 11:28-30


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Avengers headquarters came into view. Peter tucked in his arms just a little as he cleared the forestry, gradually descending to the ground and ultimately somersaulting as he landed, emerging on his feet. He walked the short remaining distance to the tower, his mind growing ever more curious as to the nature of the mission he was about to embark on. As he entered the building, the place didn't seem very busy, so it must not have been anything immediately world threatening, such as a pending alien invasion. 
> 
> Peter finally came to the main room of the compound, opting to remove his mask as he did. Fury and Hill were both there going over information, but two others were there as well: Sam Wilson, A.K.A. Falcon, and Bucky Barnes. Those last two eyed Peter as he came in and walked up to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter meets up with a couple Avengers, the plan is discussed, and Peter and Sam briefly discuss inheriting legacies.

Peter made his way through the city, finally coming upon the wooded area leading to the Avengers headquarters. He found the tallest building he could, performing what had become one of his favorite things to do as Spider-Man, something he liked to call the human slingshot. Peter had recently discovered, instead of his usual fire two webs and pull them back by hand as much as possible, he gained much more distance by forming a loop with the web around his back and stretching it. He had performed this move a couple of times recently when he needed to get somewhere in a hurry, and it had worked wonderfully. 

Thankfully, this building he was on was a wider one, so he had plenty of space to back up. Pulling his feet up and completely relaxing his body so that he was at the mercy of the web, Peter rocketed forward, straightening his body to streamline his direction as he flew over the trees, his arms tucked to his sides. This carried him for a little while, and once his momentum finally did start to die down, Peter extended his arms, activating his web wings. He now was gliding peacefully through the air, the soft March wind rippling lightly through his suit. While he enjoyed web swinging, Peter had come to see gliding as an asset as well, not just because it could transport him to places where nothing was around to swing from, but also because it was a nice change of pace from time to time. He had found himself on occasion utilizing this ability when he needed to wind down after a fight or when something was on his mind, the breeze against his mask helping to relax his thoughts. 

Finally, Avengers headquarters came into view. Peter tucked in his arms just a little as he cleared the forestry, gradually descending to the ground and ultimately somersaulting as he landed, emerging on his feet. He walked the short remaining distance to the tower, his mind growing ever more curious as to the nature of the mission he was about to embark on. As he entered the building, the place didn't seem very busy, so it must not have been anything immediately world threatening, such as a pending alien invasion. 

Peter finally came to the main room of the compound, opting to remove his mask as he did. Fury and Hill were both there going over information, but two others were there as well: Sam Wilson, A.K.A. Falcon, and Bucky Barnes. Those last two eyed Peter as he came in and walked up to him. 

"H-hey guys," Peter stammered, chastising himself internally for acting so nervous around them. He may have fought with them during the Battle of Earth when Thanos attacked, but he hadn't exactly been able to speak to them during it, so he didn't know if there were still some hard feelings from their first encounter in Germany. 

"Long time no see, kid," Sam said, extending his hand for Peter to shake, which he promptly did. This helped to put him at ease a little. 

"We've heard a lot about your exploits over the last year or so," Bucky said as he offered his hand as well.

"Y-you have?" Peter asked as he slowly took Bucky's hand and shook it. "I mean, I thought you guys were busy half way around the world chasing down some Zemo guy or something?" 

"We manage to keep up from time to time," Sam interjected, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sounds like you've had your hands full here in the city." 

"Just doing the best I can," Peter replied, still a little stunned by the fact that two of the avengers were still following his career to some degree. 

"Excuse me," Fury said, drawing Peter's attention, "not that I don't appreciate some good team bonding before a mission, but if you guys are ready to learn what that mission is, this way please." Peter followed the others towards a hologram screen in the center of the room, where they all spread out around it. 

"Thank you all for coming," Fury said, turning and eyeing Peter as he continued, "some of you on very short notice." Fury then hit a button on a small remote device in his hand, and images of four people appeared in front of them. They all appeared to be scientists, if the lab coats were any indication. They looked vaguely familiar to Peter, but he couldn't place any of them.

"Meet Dr. Jerome Hamilton, Maris Morlak, Professor Wladyslav Shinski, and Carlo Zota," Fury explained. "Four of the world's brightest minds in all manners of science, including biology, physics, and genetics. The four of them came together as a group, started calling themselves 'the Enclave,' and have been responsible for the recent thefts of advanced technologies all over the world." 

"Any idea what they're using all this stuff for?" Sam asked.

"We did some digging," Hill spoke up, "and it turns out that these pieces of technology are part of some old Hydra plans for a device to create some kind of human weapons, though we aren't sure as to the nature of it." 

"After both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. went under," Fury continued, "the United Nations took it upon themselves to spread out technologies like this all over the world, so that theoretically they could never be reunited again, though apparently it wasn't enough." 

"Do we have any idea where these people are now?" Bucky asked. 

"We tracked them to a remote island out in the Pacific," Hill said as Fury pressed a button on the device again to show the geography of the island. "It was once used as an old Hydra base as well. We sent some scouting drones to check out the island, but none of them came back, all either getting blown up or torn apart in some way." 

"So this place is one big death trap?" Sam asked. 

"Exactly," Fury replied gravely, glancing over at Peter. 

Suddenly, it all clicked in Peter's mind. "And that's where I come in, isn't it?" he said, and Fury nodded. 

"What's he talking about, kid?" Sam asked. 

"One of my powers is a kind of sixth sense that warns me of incoming danger," Peter explained. "So, I'm pretty sure I was brought in to be your booby trap detector." 

"You brought a kid in just to throw him the closest to harm's way?" Bucky asked Fury. His tone was even, but Peter could detect some underlying frustration. 

"This kid's powers are what allowed him to avoid bullets from several drones at once within the cramped confines of the Tower Bridge in London," Fury answered, seemingly unshaken by the question. "This is the best option to both make sure we succeed in our mission with no casualties on either side." 

"What's the plan then?" Peter asked. 

Fury pressed another button, causing the screen to take them through a step by step graphic. 

"We'll fly over them at a high enough altitude where they cannot detect us," Fury began. "Once we're over the island, you, Wilson, Barnes, Hill, myself and a small strike team will parachute onto it. We know the base of operations they are using is at the center of the island, so from there, you'll take the lead in guiding us to it, so that we can avoid whatever surprises they all have set for us. Once we get to the base, you, Barnes and Wilson will enter through the ventilation area while Hill and I lead our strike team around to a secret entrance on the other side. We'll converge on them from there." 

Fury then pressed the button again, and the graphic image dissipated. 

"Any questions?" Fury asked. After a moment of silence, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director told them they had ten minutes to get ready before they headed out. 

Peter went to the lab in the compound, performing a quick analysis and check up on all his suit's equipment and systems in order to make sure that everything was operating at full capacity. He knew he wouldn't have a lot of time to make drastic changes, but if any minor tweaks needed to be made, he figured it was best to know then. When the diagnostic came back perfect, Peter exited the lab, heading to meet up with the others outside. However, he stopped when he glanced in a room to see an interesting sight: Sam Wilson practicing with Captain America's shield. Peter remembered Bruce telling him about how Cap had come back as an old man from staying back in time and had passed on the shield to Falcon, much how Tony had entrusted him with a large portion of his technology. Curious, Peter entered the room, catching Same off guard.

"I would ask if you knock much," Sam said, "but these scan-your-way-in doors don't exactly lend themselves to that, do they?" 

"I guess not," Peter said as he approached the man. "Bruce told me about that," he added, gesturing to the shield. 

"Yeah," Sam said, glancing down at the round piece of red, white and blue vibranium strapped to his arm. He then looked up again to Peter: "I heard you inherited a little something yourself?"

"Yeah," Peter said, and now it was his turn to look down for a moment, staring at the mask in his hands, which contained all that remained of E.D.I.T.H. "It's original state was a bit too...destructive, for my taste at least." 

"At least you've figured out something to do with your gift," Sam said. 

"You haven't used it out in the field yet, I'm guessing?" Peter asked, gesturing to the shield. 

"No..." Sam said, a long pause evident in his sigh. Peter recognized the look on Sam's eyes; it was the look of someone who had been entrusted to carry on in the legacy of one of the world's greatest heroes, and was completely overwhelmed by it. 

It was the same look Peter saw often when he looked in the mirror, even today. 

Sure, he had turned E.D.I.T.H. into something more akin to his way of crime fighting, and Spider-Man had truly become something he had taken ownership of, but he would be lying if he said Tony's legacy, and the fact that he had been entrusted with it, still didn't loom in his mind from time to time. 

"It just...it still almost kind of feels wrong, you know?" Sam spoke up, bringing Peter back to the present. "Using it out in the field, I mean." 

"I know exactly what you mean," Peter conceded. 

"Looks like we're both struggling with larger than life legacies," Sam said. 

"Yeah," Peter said, letting out a laugh as he spoke. 

"Well, we better get going," Sam said, heading out of the room with the shield in tow, and Peter followed behind. They quietly walked out onto the front lawn, where a quinjet was waiting for them. They walked up the ramp to find Bucky, Fury, Hill and the strike team already on board. 

"I imagine you guys had a couple things to talk about," Bucky joked to the two of them. Peter huffed as a response, and he didn't hear Sam respond either. Bucky's expression became a little more serious as a result, perhaps realizing he overstepped his bounds slightly. 

Less than a minute later, the craft began to rise up into the air, and before they knew it, they were on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> My prayers for you all: stay safe and healthy out there! 
> 
> "As for God, His way is perfect..." Psalm 18:30-32


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everything okay, kid?" Peter heard. He turned his head around, not all that surprised due to his enhanced senses to see Bucky Barnes standing a couple feet away, gentle concern evident in his eyes. 
> 
> "Yeah, yeah," Peter said. He felt guilty that Bucky had caught him in such a moment. For all that he had endured in his young superhero career, here was a man who had lost so much more and endured so much worse that it made him feel sick for even thinking he had anything to complain about. 
> 
> "Look," Bucky said, taking a seat next to Peter, "if we're going to be working together, we should probably try being honest with each other. It might help things out if there's a sense of trust, ya know?" 
> 
> "Make sense," Peter said, but he had no idea where to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and Bucky have a heart to heart en route to the mission.

Despite the speed of the revamped quinjet, the journey from New York City to a remote island in the heart of the Pacific Ocean was proving to take a while, which offered plenty of opportunity for down time. In Peter's case, however, this resulted in not having a clue to what to do. He considered trying to talk with Sam or Bucky, but he had no idea what on earth to say. Even though he had seen a lot over his brief time as Spider-Man thus far, he still felt like an amateur compared to seasoned veterans like them. Plus, it didn't help that he feared coming off like a complete fanboy in his mind anytime he thought of approaching them. 

Instead, Peter found himself sitting against a section of the wall, looking out a window and letting his thoughts drift and wonder as they pleased. Unfortunately, this tended to result in him thinking about what he was missing instead of the mission he was soon to undertake. He tried to reel these thoughts in at first, but he eventually gave up, simply picturing M.J, Ned, Betty and the others all having a good time. He thought about trying to text them and see how they were doing, but they were probably flying right now as well, possibly coming up fairly close to their destination too, so he dismissed the idea for now, his mind returning to wondering. He thought of Ned goofing off and being a nerd, and he missed that he couldn't join in with him. Peter thought of his friend's contagious smile; how he could light up any room he walked into. He thought of how M.J. was probably cringing even worse than usual around Betty and Ned's sappy sayings and general attitudes without him there to provide a full contrast. Ugh, now he was cringing too. He then laughed as he thought of how M.J. probably was making up for this by not letting them hear the end of how absurdly cliche and stereotypical they were being. 

M.J. 

Peter thought back to his final moments with her before she walked out the door this morning. He remembered the coconut scent of her hair, and the warm feeling as they had hugged each other like there would be no tomorrow. Most of all, he remembered the sad, disappointed look in her eyes. There had been no anger or frustration with him in her expression, just disappointment in the situation. His fist clenched for a moment at the memory before he let out a soft breath, letting his hand hit the floor with a thud. 

"Everything okay, kid?" Peter heard. He turned his head around, not all that surprised due to his enhanced senses to see Bucky Barnes standing a couple feet away, gentle concern evident in his eyes. 

"Yeah, yeah," Peter said. He felt guilty that Bucky had caught him in such a moment. For all that he had endured in his young superhero career, here was a man who had lost so much more and endured so much worse that it made him feel sick for even thinking he had anything to complain about. 

"Look," Bucky said, taking a seat next to Peter, "if we're going to be working together, we should probably try being honest with each other. It might help things out if there's a sense of trust, ya know?" 

"Make sense," Peter said, but he had no idea where to begin. 

"You're still in school, right?" Bucky asked. 

"A senior," Peter answered. 

"Okay," Bucky said, and Peter could tell that the man was putting the pieces together in his mind. "So, I'm guessing you're missing school right now, because of this?"

"Nah, I'm on spring break," Peter answered. By now, he had shifted to looking at the man, finally overcoming the urge to stare out into the ocean view. 

"Oh, so it's worse than I thought," Bucky replied. Peter could tell there was a slight hint of teasing in his tone, but not so much that the man wasn't taking the conversation seriously.

"Yeah, something like that," Peter said.

"Did you have plans?" Bucky asked. The man had clearly mastered the art of prodding while still being nice and polite about it. 

"I did; I was supposed to go with some of my class to Myrtle Beach," Peter said, keeping his tone more quiet so that Fury and Hill couldn't overhear him. The last thing he wanted was to sound like a complaining teenager in front of them...again.

"Ah," Bucky said, nodding his head as if he was coming to a more full understanding of the situation. "Yet, somehow, I have a feeling that you're not just upset over missing a week on the beach."

Peter let out a breath as he gazed back out the window, trying to string together exactly what he wanted to say without sounding too whiny compared to the more hardened veteran. 

"It's just...so much has happened over the last year or so, ever since those two recruited me during the last class trip I was on," he began. "I've just lost a lot of time, ya know? My senior year of high school is almost over, and most of my memories of the year consist of my adventures in red and black spandex. I guess I was just hoping to make a few memories as just me before the year was over." 

Peter looked to Bucky, the few seconds it took for the man to respond practically agonizing. His thoughts that the veteran would see him as young and naive, or just petty, threatened to overwhelm him. However, those thoughts were put at ease as Bucky put his right hand on Peter's shoulder. 

"I get it," Bucky replied, earnestness showing through his eyes. 

"Y-you do?" Peter said. 

"The truth is, I wish I had your appreciation for the simple things when I was your age," the man continued. "My whole last year of school, I couldn't wait to get into the military. I thought I was finally going to be able to fulfill my greater calling; actually make a difference, ya know? Plus, women love a man in uniform, so that was a nice perk too," he said, poking Peter's arm with his elbow. He allowed himself to chuckle at the man's story thus far. 

"Sounds like you had things pretty figured out," Peter said. 

"That's what I thought too," Bucky said. "That is, until I got captured, experimented on, almost died, got brainwashed into being a killing machine..." The man's voice grew more somber with each word. Peter was about to say something to make sure he knew he didn't have to continue, but the man pressed on before he could. 

"When they were fixing me up in Wakanda, I had a lot of time to think about it all, and I realized I was being young and stupid." 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. 

"All I could think about was how much I wanted to jump into going out and being a hero that I forgot what really matters in life," the man explained. "I saw my career in the army and my ambitions as the gateway to all that stuff, and not the other way around." 

Peter didn't know what to say. He figured Bucky must've picked up on this as the man continued: 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that what you're feeling is a good problem to have, if that makes any sense," Bucky explained. "I'm not exactly a licensed therapist, so that probably doesn't make any sense." 

"No, I see what you mean," Peter acknowledged. He hadn't really thought about his plight from that kind of angle before. It at least made him feel good that a veteran at least felt like he had his priorities at least decently in order. 

"Let me ask you something," Bucky said, turning for a moment to glance in the direction of Fury and Hill. He then turned back towards Peter, lowering his voice as he spoke again: "Do you regret coming with us today?"

"No," Peter answered without hesitation, shaking his head. "I'm always glad to help." Bucky smiled in response to this. 

"That's a lot like how Steve was," Bucky said. "He was always eager to help, but unlike me, he actually enjoyed what I once considered the more mundane things in life as well." 

That statement hit Peter like a punch from the Rhino. To be compared with Captain America, even in his civilian life...wow. 

"I guess, what I'm trying to say as I stumble my way through this, is to not let go of either side," Bucky said. "The world needs Spider-Man, but Spider-Man needs Peter." 

Peter took a moment to process Bucky's last statement. That language, the talk of Spider-Man and Peter as if they were two different people...it was strange to him. Sure, he had always considered them to be separate lives, but they were both still him. Maybe that was exactly the point Bucky was trying to make.

"Thanks," Peter said, a smile forming across his face. "I really appreciate this." 

"I'm just relieved something in all that actually made sense to you," Bucky replied. "You must really be as smart as they say around here." 

Peter let out a huff of a laugh, but said nothing in response. Anytime someone turned the conversation towards his intelligence, he never knew what to say. His uncle had taught him not to "toot his own horn" so to speak, and with that option off the table, there never seemed to be much worthwhile for him to say. 

"Oh by the way," Bucky said, "I ran into Stark's old driver guy, and he said something about you having a girlfriend?"

Peter laughed at Bucky's description of Happy. "Yeah, I do," he replied, taking out his phone and pulling up a picture of M.J. to show Bucky. It was from a recent trip to Central Park; he had caught her while she was looking out in the distance somewhere, the sun at just the perfect angle for a good photo. 

"She's beautiful," the man replied. "What's she like?" 

What Peter had intended to be a one or two sentence answer at the most turned into a full length dissertation on how great M.J. was. After a while, he finally realized he was getting a little long winded. "Sorry about that," he said, his face blushing with embarrassment at his lack of self control when it came to talking about his girlfriend. 

"She must be some girl if you can practically recite a book about her," Bucky teased, which only added to Peter's embarrassment. The man then tapped Peter against the knee. "I'm messing with you kid," he clarified. "She sounds amazing though." 

"Yeah, she is," Peter said, his cheeks slowly cooling back down. His attention was then drawn to Fury, who was approaching the two of them. 

"We're about two minutes out," the man said. "Get ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally intended to have this chapter jump straight into the mission, but I decided to slow it down a little bit in favor of some character bonding. Hope you liked it! Whether or not you did, please let me know your thoughts, and why you thought them. It gives me plenty to think about as I strive to become a better writer. 
> 
> My prayers go out for each and every one of you. Stay safe and healthy, and may the Lord be with you. 
> 
> "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Matthew 18:21-35


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ever parachuted before, kid?" Sam asked him as he finished strapping on his own chute. 
> 
> "Only twice," Peter answered as he was performing a quick final check on his web shooters, "and I almost drowned the first time." He then looked up and saw concern in the eyes of Sam and Bucky. "Don't worry," Peter assured them, "When I made my new suit, I reconfigured the style of the parachute to properly fit my abilities, plus it compensates for wind and the aerial dynamics better, not to mention..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and the group make it to the island, spring traps, fight robots, and discover who is at the heart of the Enclave.

The good thing was, unlike the others, Peter didn't need to strap on a parachute to prepare for the jump. He had replaced the old one in his suit not long after he had returned from London, and he hadn't had to use it yet. 

"Ever parachuted before, kid?" Sam asked him as he finished strapping on his own chute. 

"Only twice," Peter answered as he was performing a quick final check on his web shooters, "and I almost drowned the first time." He then looked up and saw concern in the eyes of Sam and Bucky. "Don't worry," Peter assured them, "When I made my new suit, I reconfigured the style of the parachute to properly fit my abilities, plus it compensates for wind and the aerial dynamics better, not to mention..."

"I think we got it," Sam said, causing Peter to realize he was about to go on a science rant. 

"Sorry," Peter offered apologetically, adding a shrug since he didn't know what else to do. 

"Don't be," Sam assured him. "You're one of those rare ones that speak Einstein. I can see why Tony took to you." 

Peter allowed himself to swell with just a hint of pride at being compared to Tony. He remembered how he and Sam had talked earlier about the respective legacies they inherited, so hearing that coming from him in particular meant the world. 

"Alright everybody," Fury shouted as the ramp lowered, letting in a ripple of air. "We've got about a 20 second window, so everyone's got to jump off in rapid succession. You three care to do the honors?" he asked, gesturing towards the three Avengers in the hanger. 

Peter stepped forward with the others, finally slipping his mask back on as he approached the ramp. Sam jumped first, and Peter didn't waste any time in jumping off after him. As he entered a free fall state momentarily, Peter considered letting out a shout of excitement, but thought better of it. It wouldn't exactly help the perception he wanted for himself in the minds of his senior Avengers, nor would it do anything to help them on their mission that involved, you know, sneaking around? 

After a few seconds, Peter's parachute deployed. Just like in London, he stiffened his body, putting his arms to his sides and heading straight into a nosedive, though at a slower pace than before. He eventually caught up to and passed Sam. After a while, Peter recognized he was coming onto the island, so he released the parachute from his suit, extending his arms to open his web wings to glide in for a smooth landing onto the soft, cold sand. Not long after, the others joined him. 

"Showoff," Sam said sarcastically to Peter, who let out a small chuckle underneath his mask. Fury and Hill then walked up to the two of them, with the latter holding a large tablet device of some kind. 

"Which way from here?" Peter asked. 

"The facility we believe they are utilizing is at the heart of the island," Hill explained. "So the only place we can go is further inland." 

"Alright," Peter said, glancing towards the woods in front of them. The sun's rays were only just starting to poke out from the horizon, so their initial walk through the woods would be particularly hazardous in the dark. Peter knew he needed to be particularly on guard if he was to ensure all of the lives with him made it out of this. 

"Well, follow me," he said, motioning with his arm as headed into the woods. Sam and Bucky followed just behind him, with the others bringing up the rear. For the first half hour of their journey inland, there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Peter's spider-sense remained quiet as could be for a while, the closest thing to a surprise attack being when nuts would fall from the tops of the trees. After a while, they came to something at least resembling a path, opting to take it. They had barely been on the thin trail a minute when Peter's spider-sense went off for the first time. He instantly froze, his right arm shooting up to indicate for the others to stop. 

"What do you sense kid?" Bucky asked from his side. 

"I'm not 100% sure," Peter said as he set his mask's system to detect any anomalies. "Something's out there though." When his mask didn't pick up anything right away, Peter glanced down, finding a stick near his feet. He picked it up and tossed it into the pathway they were about to walk in. Within seconds, sharp metal blades came flying out at the stick from the sides, a couple of them managing to strike the stick in the process. 

"Not bad," Sam said, his voice sounding almost in awe. Peter couldn't allow himself to focus on his partner's amazement at his abilities; quickly, he had his mask track down the point of the blades' origin. After they disabled the trap, the group quickly moved along. 

Peter found that the further inland they got, the more extreme the traps would be. At first it was just spikes or blades, then some would rain gunfire or even utilize flamethrowers in more clear, less wooded areas. He even caught onto a few landmines just before anyone could step on them. Moving efficiently but cautiously however, he and the group managed to spring each and every trap that had been laid out. Finally, after three hours of hiking deeper into the island, they finally came to a massive former Hydra base. 

"Alright," Fury said in a somewhat hushed tone, "Hill and I are going to take the strike team around to the south entrance. Parker, you, Barnes and Wilson go get in around the north entrance. We can at least cut off two of their methods of escape should they make a run for it."

"Alright," Sam said, already starting to move out.

"Wait," Peter said, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. "I mean, that all makes sense, but are we sure splitting up is the best idea? I mean, if all those traps were out there, who knows what you could run into even the relatively short distance it takes to get there?" 

"We'll be fine," Hill said, her tone clearly not allowing any room for discussion. "Let's move." 

Peter reluctantly caught up with Sam and Bucky, making sure once again that he took the lead. For his part, he was going to make sure that he wouldn't lose another partner. They came to a door, seeing that a pass code was required for entry. 

"I don't suppose one of you can hack that thing, can you?" Bucky asked. 

"I could," Peter replied, "but it could take a while, and we don't have that kind of time." 

"Great," Sam said, clearly a little disgruntled at their present predicament. "Well, what's the plan now?" 

Peter glanced around, catching sight of a ventilation shaft. 

"You guys enjoy climbing around ventilation shafts?" he asked them. Bucky and Sam both gave him blank looks in response. "Oh come one, surely I'm not the only one," Peter griped mildly as he began climbing up the wall. He ripped open the cover to the shaft, getting in and pulling Sam and Bucky up behind him by web. They crawled through the vents for a little while until they came to an empty hallway. Letting themselves out, they made their way through a few hallways, disabling a few security cameras along the way. However, as they entered their fourth hallway, Peter's spider-sense rang out in his head. He soon saw why: a variety of robots came towards them, some more humanoid, some almost looking like something out of Star Wars. 

"I told you we should've stayed in the vents, Sam!" Bucky shouted. 

"Hey, I was getting cramped in there, alright?" Sam retorted back. 

The small army of machines attacked, with some firing at them and others opting for more close range combat. Peter, Sam and Bucky took cover, with the latter two blazing guns into the machines to little effect, the robots advancing on them quickly. 

"I think I can get in there and draw most of their attention," Peter said from his spot on the wall. 

"That's suicide kid," Sam said. 

"Let me be the judge of that," Peter said, and, after taking a quick breath, whipped himself around the corner right as the machines were about to turn into them. Moving with all his speed, precision and power, Peter tore through several of the machines, causing others to shoot at some of their own. Surprisingly, the combat machines quickly proved more dangerous than the ones with guns, as they moved much faster than Peter expected, only narrowly dodging their initial blows until one of them connected, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying into the wall. 

"You alright kid?" Peter heard Bucky call out. 

"Yeah," Peter shouted back, recovering quick enough to avoid another attack. "I'm just reevaluating how cool I thought every robot movie ever was as a kid." 

As the fight continued, something felt off to Peter about the whole scenario. He had looked up the four scientists that Fury had mentioned while they were still getting ready at the base. They were all brilliant in different fields of science, but none of them pertained to robotics. At first, he just thought that they could be more traps left behind by Hydra, but the technology these machines were made of appeared far too cutting edge to have been built around 10 years ago, when Hydra was still a major player. No, there had to be more to this than met the eye. 

Once they had disposed of the machines, Bucky and Sam continued. Peter took one more quick glance at a dismantled robot, setting his lenses to run an analysis before catching up to the others. Moving quickly, the three of them reached a large room. This time, Sam set his goggles to run a check of the room for heat signatures. 

"That's interesting," he said. 

"What?" Bucky asked. 

"Fury named off four scientists earlier, but I'm picking up five heat signatures in that room," Sam answered. 

"I knew there had to be someone else," Peter said. 

"What do you mean?" Sam asked. 

"Those machines were made of far too recent technology to be old Hydra ones, and none of the scientists Fury mentioned are experts in robotics," Peter explained. 

"It could be who they get their orders from," Bucky said. 

"Kid, can you get that door open?" Sam asked.

"One busted door, coming right up!" Peter said, taking a step back before moving forward and kicking in the metal door, sending it flying into the room. They rushed into the room to find the four scientists in question gathered around some kind of hologram, though Peter couldn't tell what of with a quick glance. One of them pulled out a device from his jacket, pulling out some kind of remote device. Acting on instinct, Peter quickly shot a web, yanking the device away from the man, catching it smoothly with his right hand. 

"Sorry guys," Peter said, waiving his finger at them as Sam and Bucky moved in on the scientists, "no blowing us all up or calling in any more of those machines of yours." 

"They aren't just any machines," came a voice from an open door on the left side of the room. After a moment, a large hover chair of some kind glided into the room, probably only a couple feet off the ground. The man on it directed it towards Peter, stopping right at his side. Peter remained on high alert, even as his mind began connecting the dots as to who this might be.

"They are a step towards the future," the man said, and suddenly it clicked. 

"Wait," Peter said, slowly pointing towards the man in the futuristic hover chair. "I know you. You're Alistair Smythe." 

"Always a pleasure to meet a fan," Smythe replied, repositioning the hover chair so he could reach out to shake Peter's hand. Peter, however, kept his hands at his sides, refusing to take the risk of being played. 

"You'll have to excuse me and my associates," Smythe said, returning his hand back into the hover chair. "I know our methods are, shall we say, unconventional. However, we are doing what must be done to advance humankind into the future." The man then redirected his hover chair to head towards the hologram, and Peter kept right in step with him. He had no idea what the man was planning to do, or how much of a threat directly he was, but he was taking no chances. 

"I'd heard about your accident several years back," Peter said, trying to see if he could get the man to talk. "I know you ended up paralyzed from the waist down."

"A setback, to be sure," Smythe replied, "but also an opportunity." To Peter's surprise, there was no bitterness in the man's facial expression or tone of voice. He had met many disgruntled scientists in his day, and almost every one of them was driven by anger at his plight. Smythe, however, seemed genuine in his words, as if he truly believed his paralysis was a pathway to a better opportunity. 

"Well, sorry to bust up your plans," Peter said, "but if you're going with the whole 'I'm going to make humanity better' angle, I'm gonna stop you right there. I've seen that play out wrong a few too many times." 

Peter fired a web, trying Smythe's hands together. 

"I applaud you for being wise enough to not underestimate a man just because he can't move his legs," Smythe commended, though there was a confidence behind his words that turned his stomach inside out. "But, it's not enough." 

Peter's spider-sense then went wild as the room was suddenly filled with more robots. Instantly, he and his partners went into attack mode again, fighting the machines off as best they could. It didn't take long for him to recognize that the 5 men were getting away. 

"You guys go, I got this!" Peter called out to Sam and Bucky. Peter didn't even look to see if they went or not, keeping his mind solely focused on taking out the various machines. Webbing two of them together, Peter smashed their metallic heads in before converting them into a melee weapon against the rest, spinning and whipping them wildly, tearing through the rest. 

Once they were taken care of, Peter rushed to catch up with Sam and Bucky. When he found them, they were fighting off more machines in another room as the scientists looked to be preparing an escape on an old Hydra jet. Peter raced ahead to help out, fighting off still more machines. Finally, he caught up to where the jet was just as the ramp closed up. He could still stop them though, if he just...

The sound of someone gasping for air got his attention. He spun around to see Sam and Bucky in a struggle with the the last remaining machines; Bucky in particular had one of their hands on his throat, gasping for air while on his knees. 

Visions of the Goblin's attack of Times Square ran though his mind, the image of the green menace's hand around Captain Stacy's throat still clear as day. He could've swore he heard Sam yelling, "Kid, we'll be fine! Go!" but if he did, it was soon drowned out as Peter tore through the robot that had a hold on Bucky, an intensity coming over him as he wiped out every last machine in the room. However, by the time he did so and turned around the jet had already risen out of the room. Peter started to take off after it, but stopped when he heard a noise not unlike a sonic boom. 

It was right around that time when Fury and the strike team arrived. 

"Looks like you guys had more success with those machines than we..." but stopped, seemingly realizing what just took place. 

They failed. The Enclave had got away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> My prayers for you all; please, stay safe and healthy during this time to the best of your ability. 
> 
> "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep..." 18:10-14


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, what happened here?" Sam said, walking up to Peter. 
> 
> "What are you talking about?" Peter asked, more nervousness than he wanted to admit slipping out into his words. He really didn't know where Sam was going with this, and he was concerned about finding out. 
> 
> "You had a chance to get to them, but you came back for us instead," Sam said. His voice didn't sound especially accusing, but there was definitely some frustration evident. 
> 
> "You and Bucky were in trouble," Peter answered a little more assertively than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and Sam disagree about his choice, the Enclave plans their next move, and Peter reflects and talks with his friends.

"What happened here?" Fury asked. 

Peter was about to answer, but when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out. Anything he thought to say, such as that they were overwhelmed, that he had no choice but to protect his allies, just sounded like an excuse in his mind, however justified it may have been. 

"Yeah, what happened here?" Sam said, walking up to Peter. 

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, more nervousness than he wanted to admit slipping out into his words. He really didn't know where Sam was going with this, and he was concerned about finding out. 

"You had a chance to get to them, but you came back for us instead," Sam said. His voice didn't sound especially accusing, but there was definitely some frustration evident. 

"You and Bucky were in trouble," Peter answered a little more assertively than before. 

"And I'm grateful to still be here," Sam clarified. "But Barnes and I could've handled it." 

"It didn't look like it from my end," Peter said. He hoped he didn't sound too condescending in his word use or tone. No matter their disagreements, Sam was still the older and more experienced Avenger, and if there was one thing Ben and May had drilled into him, it was to respect his eld...superiors. Yes, that was much better. Besides, elders made him feel even more like a rookie still. 

"Did you not hear me earlier?" Sam said, his voice growing more frustrated than before. "I was trying to tell you that we could handle ourselves. We've faced worse situations before." 

"I know, it's just..." Peter stopped short of admitting what was really going through his head at the time. The fact was, the death of Captain Stacy was still a hard subject to talk about. Even though he and the captain weren't exactly best friends, knowing that he had failed someone who had put his complete trust in him...and had left the man's family behind to grieve in the process...was still hard to swallow. He didn't want to go through that again. 

"You don't trust us," Sam said, his tone soft but still accusing. 

"That's not true," Peter said, ripping his mask off as his voice was beginning to match Sam's in boldness. 

"That's how I saw it," Sam said. "If you're going to be on this team, you need to learn to let us handle situations, however difficult they look at the time."

"And if you didn't figure it out?" Peter questioned. 

"Sometimes that's a chance we have to take," Sam said. "Now, more lives are at stake because you let them get away." 

Peter's fist began to clench as his frustration rose. Why was Sam questioning his choice to protect him and Bucky? Yeah, he understood that he was upset that the Enclave got away, but why was he taking it out on him?

"Alright, that's enough," Bucky said, stopping just short of getting fully in between the two. 

"Barnes, if he's going to be out here with us, he's got to understand the stakes are too high to not trust your teammates," Sam said. 

"I won't stand by while my teammates, who clearly WEREN'T handling the situation, are at risk," Peter said, beginning to toss aside courtesies has he vented. "I'm sorry, but if someone around me even looks like they're in trouble, I will choose to help them. Every time." 

"That's enough," Fury said assertively, him and the strike team having finished scouring the room for anything that could assist in figuring out where the Enclave was going next. "Let's get back to the quinjet." 

Sam walked away, leaving Bucky still standing next to Peter, whose head faced downward, dejected. 

"Hey," Bucky said. Peter lifted his head just enough to face the man at least partly. "Thanks," he said. 

"Sure," Peter said, just barely nodding. 

"Come on," Bucky said softly, giving Peter a gentle tap on the shoulder with his fist as he walked past him. Peter slipped his mask back on, turned, and followed the others out of the building. They made their way back to the quinjet with relative ease, having disabled all the traps they could in the forest on their way in. When they finally reached it, Peter retreated to the same quiet, isolated spot by the window that he had been at before, removing his mask as he sat down. The quinjet rumbled to life, and it wasn't long before they were putting some distance between themselves and the island. 

\---

Alistair Smythe greeted the other scientists in the main room of their ship. "Did we get what we needed?" he asked. 

"Oh yes," came the answer from one Dr. Jerome Hamilton. "Your robots were able to download their analysis of Spider-Man's abilities to the hard drive at our main base. From there, we can implement them just like we planned." 

"Excellent," Smythe responded. He then looked down at his legs, of which he had lost the use of several years ago, though he still remembered how it happened in great detail to this very day: one of his robotics projects gone wrong, destroying his lab in the process. At first, he had been bitter about his incident, but he had since come to see it as an opportunity, a motivator even, to push his research farther than ever before. Along the way, he had come into contact with others who had other various ailments that they were looking to overcome: neurological issues that hampered motor functions, liver diseases, cancer, etc. However, they also had something else in common: their brilliant minds were still intact. 

"Mr. Smythe?" The man turned to face one Carlo Zota, a former physicist. "I assume we are heading back to our main base?" 

"Oh, yes Carlo. Thank you," Smythe replied, bringing himself back to the present. "Forgive me, I seem to have went elsewhere for a moment." 

"Don't worry," Zota responded. "Our project will soon be completed, and then none of us will ever have to worry about any of our ailments ever again." 

"Humanity will thank us for this," said Maris Morlak, once one of the world's foremost authorities in the field of neuroscience. "Plus, we'll be rich beyond belief." 

"Be patient, Maris," Smythe cautioned. "We will still need to run our final tests in order make sure that our theories are correct. Even the slightest miscalculation could prove fatal, which is the exact opposite of our goal." 

"Of course," Morlak responded. 

\---

Peter stared out the window, the calm of the ocean failing to settle his restless mind. Was Sam right? Did he not trust them enough to handle themselves? Had there been something he missed that would've proven that? The more he replayed the situation in his head, the more he felt certain that he would do the exact same thing as before if the scenario played out again. 

On top of this, that scene in Times Square came back frequently as well. That day had haunted his dreams many nights since then, even long after his defeat of the Green Goblin. Peter could still picture the Goblin's hand on the captain's throat, just as that machine's hand was on Bucky's earlier. He could hear Osborn bragging in front of the camera about what was going to happen. The feelings of helplessness that had occurred in that moment threatened to engulf him again each time it came back to his mind, requiring him to close his eyes and let out a breath every so often to calm himself down. It was over; he had defeated the Goblin. This was not the same thing. 

However, Peter still jumped a little when he felt his phone vibrating. They must've been back stateside now; indeed, he could see that they were back over land again instead of ocean, meaning he had a better signal again. He glanced down at his phone to see that it was M.J. He picked up the phone and answered it. 

"Hey," he said. 

"Heads up, you're on speaker," she responded. "Don't worry, me, Ned and Betty are in our hotel room right now. Everybody else is out at the beach." 

"You guys enjoying yourselves?" Peter asked. 

"Yeah man," came Ned's upbeat voice. "We wish you were here with us though."

"Yeah, me too," Peter said, his voice feeling far off even to him. 

"How are things going with your mission?" Betty asked. 

Peter hesitated in his response, opting to settle for, "Could be better I guess." He was trying to maintain his usual positive, more upbeat demeanor so that his friends wouldn't worry, but he wasn't sure how good a job he was doing. 

"Who all are you working with?" Ned asked, his voice sounding eager with curiosity. This caused Peter to perk up for a moment as he chuckled at his best friend's constantly enthusiastic nature towards his adventures. 

"Sam and Bucky," Peter replied, trying to keep his voice down so the others on the ship, even if they were a decent distance away, wouldn't hear him. "Fury and Hill brought a strike team along too." 

"That's so cool!" Ned said. Peter let out a noise that was more of a snort than a chuckle this time. He wished he could share more in Ned's enthusiasm right now. 

"You okay?" M.J. asked. Of course she would be the first one to pick up on that something wasn't right with him. 

"Yeah," Peter replied, even though he knew that wasn't the case. The last thing he wanted was his friends worrying about him during a spring break trip. 

He then heard some background noise, and what sounded like M.J. shooing the others out of the room. Yep, he knew where this was going. 

"Okay, it's just me now," M.J. said. 

Peter let out a hard sigh, trying to think of how to start. "The guys we were after got away," he began, "and Sam said it was my fault."

"How so?" M.J. asked, her voice even. She had settled into a routine where, whenever she could tell something was wrong with him, she went into fact gathering mode first. 

"I had a shot at stopping them," Peter admitted, "but I turned around and saw Bucky getting choked out and...the bad guys got away while I helped him and Sam out." 

"First of all, you know when you say bad guys, you're a huge walking cliche, right?" M.J. asked, her voice back to its more sarcastic but still playful edge. Peter let out a small laugh in response. 

"Yeah, I know," he responded. 

"Good," she answered. "Now that we have that out of the way, why are you second guessing your decision? It sounds like you did the right thing to me." 

"Every time I think back through it, I think so too," Peter said, "but I heard Sam shout to me at the time that they had it, that I should go after the group. What if there was something I missed?" 

There was a pause for M.J.'s next response. 

"Did you say Bucky was getting choked out?" she asked. 

"Yeah," Peter answered. 

"Peter...are you sure this doesn't have to do with what happened to the captain?" M.J. asked. 

Peter shut his eyes and ran his hand over his face and hair, hesitating in his answer. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't," he said. 

There was another brief period of silence. 

"I know how much that's bothered you," M.J. responded. She sounded frustrated, like she was at a loss. "I wish I knew what the answer was, but..." 

"It's okay," Peter quickly interjected. "Just having someone to talk to about it helps." He knew that M.J. wanted so desperately to have just the right advice for him in every situation, but she could never fully understand many of his situations, and they both knew it. He could never hold it against her though, and she was a fantastic listener, which helped a lot. 

"Maybe if they knew too..." M.J. added. 

"Wait, you think I should tell them about what happened to the captain?" Peter asked. 

"I don't know, maybe?" M.J. said, her voice sounding unsure. "If they at least knew why you did what you did...it couldn't hurt, could it?" 

Peter looked out the window as he processed M.J.'s idea. He really wasn't sure if he was ready to open up about something like that to them; as much as he respected them, he still barely knew them. 

"I don't know; we'll see. I'll keep it in mind," Peter responded. He glanced over to his left side, seeing Fury standing a distance away from him, motioning for him to come over. 

"Thanks M.J. Look, I hate to cut this short, but I gotta go. I think Fury wants to debrief us." 

"Okay; be safe," she responded. 

"I will," Peter assured her. "Tell the others I miss them, and assure Ned I'll have some stories to tell when this is over."

"That should make him happy," M.J. said, "that's practically all he's been talking about when we're in private." 

"I'll bet," Peter replied. "Alright, I gotta go. Thanks again M.J. I love you." 

"I love you too," M.J. replied. Peter smiled at those words, reveling in them for just a moment. He then pulled the phone away from his ear, hanging up. As he walked over to Fury, who simply turned around and started leading him towards the debriefing area, he pondered over M.J.'s idea. He still wasn't sure if he'd end up going along with it, but he knew he had to figure something out. 

Who knows, the fate of the world might depend on it or something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you liked it! 
> 
> My prayers for you all once more; I hope you guys stay safe and healthy during this difficult time. 
> 
> "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height..." 1 Samuel 16: 6-7


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey," Peter heard, turning around to see Sam behind him. 
> 
> "Hey man," Peter replied. Sam walked up beside him. "I'm sorry they got away," Peter added. 
> 
> "I'm sorry you were put in the position where you had to make the choice," Sam replied. "You know, someone that makes a choice like that like often does so because that's the kind of person they are, but also because they lost someone before."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: the team regroups, and Peter learns he and Sam have more in common than he thought.

Peter walked onto the main deck of the area behind Fury, stepping just to the side of the entrance and standing next to the wall. Sam and Bucky were standing across the room to his left, and he didn't dare look at them, especially Sam. He could already envision the disappointed look the man was likely giving him. 

"Our satellites lost them about five minutes ago," Fury began, drawing Peter's attention up from the floor for the first time since entering the room. "However, they were headed back in the direction of the states, so we are going back to the compound. We're seeing if we can get our satellites linked up to give us a better view of the situation. In the mean time, now that you all have had a chance to cool off, is there anything that was learned during the attack on the base that you guys are willing to share?" 

"Peter seemed to recognize a fifth man that showed up in some high tech hover chair," Bucky said. Peter's attention was caught at the mention of his name. For most of the trip so far, the others had called him 'kid.' Hearing one of them refer to him by name suddenly gave him a bit more confidence. He straightened up in his stance a little, holding his chin up, though not too high, because he didn't want to make a fool of himself trying to look too cool. 

"His name was Alistair Smythe," Peter said. "I recognized him from reading about his work, as well as the accident he was involved in."

"The accident?" Fury questioned. While his face didn't show much enthusiasm (as if it ever did), Peter took the questioning sound of the sentence as an implication for him to continue, so he did. 

"Yeah, back in 2017 I remember reading something about an accident he was involved in at his workplace. He was experimenting with a new power source of some kind for his newest machines, but the source became unstable and destroyed the building. Paramedics found him in the rubble and rushed him to the hospital, and I think I remember something about a surgery. He survived, but has been paralyzed from the waist down ever since." 

"Did he give any indication at all in regards to what he and the others stole all that technology for?" Fury questioned. 

"Not really," Peter answered, "other than the usual talk about advancing humanity's future and stuff." 

"Well, whoever this Alistair Smythe is, there isn't much on him," Hill spoke up. "I found articles about the story you mentioned, but about a year later he went off the grid. No financial transactions, no sightings on security footage, nothing." 

"He must have used the decimation to disappear," Sam spoke up. 

"Makes sense," Bucky added. "From what I heard, the world was in chaos for the next few years, so it'd be a perfect time to get away and plan something out." 

"What doesn't make sense is why he recruits all these other guys?" Hill spoke up. "None of the other four share the same scientific area of expertise, and they have no known association with Smythe prior to this." 

"Alright," Fury said, straightening up. "We're headed back to the compound. From there, we'll restock our gear and get ready for another attack. In the mean time, Hill, link up every satellite you can. I want eyes and ears everywhere to track down these people." 

"I'm on it," Hill said. 

"While Agent Hill is working on that," Fury continued, addressing Peter, Sam and Bucky, "we need to try and figure out somehow what Smythe is up to. Try and remember anything more from earlier that can help us." 

"My suit records footage," Peter added. "When we get to the compound, I can play it back and see what we have." 

"Sounds like a plan to me," Bucky said. From there, they all nodded silently to one another in agreement before going their separate ways. Peter walked back to the same area of the quinjet that he was at before, but he didn't sit down this time, instead leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he once again stared out the window. Despite the calming view of the ocean, his thoughts remained restless. He tried to focus on the fight that had happened barely two hours before, but nothing was coming to him. Anytime he got to the point where he had the option to stop the ship, he tried to go back and start over, but the same result only persisted. 

"Hey," Peter heard, turning around to see Sam behind him. 

"Hey man," Peter replied. Sam walked up beside him. "I'm sorry they got away," Peter added. 

"I'm sorry you were put in the position where you had to make the choice," Sam replied. "You know, someone that makes a choice like that like often does so because that's the kind of person they are, but also because they lost someone before." 

Peter closed his eyes for a moment, his head slowly turning as he faced downward for a moment before coming back up. 

"Look man, I understand if you don't want to talk about it. I guess I'm just..."

"You and Bucky said you kept up with my work," Peter said, his voice already getting shakier than he would like. "I'm guessing you read about the Green Goblin thing?" 

"Yeah," Sam acknowledged. Peter still wasn't facing him yet, but from the way it came out, he guessed Sam was smiling at least a little. "I gotta say, that was pretty impressive." 

"No," Peter said sorrowfully, shaking his head slowly. When Sam didn't speak up again, he continued: "A month or two before that monster came into the picture, myself and Captain George Stacy formed an alliance of sorts to aid each other against the NYC underground. One day, the Goblin attacked Times Square, and I tried to stop him. Captain Stacy arrived on the scene too, and while I was temporarily incapacitated, he...the Goblin..." Peter just couldn't get the rest of the words out in that moment. His fists clenched and shook with rage and regret. He could still easily picture how the Goblin held Captain Stacy's neck. He could still hear the Goblin's arrogance seep through his every word as he spoke to whole city on the news, boasting about how the city belonged to him, and how he was setting an example for those who would stand in his way. 

"I get it," Sam spoke up. Shaken from his thoughts, Peter turned towards him, and the eyes that once held frustration and anger now were filled with sorrow and understanding. 

"You lose someone in action too?" Peter asked. "I understand you were in the military at some point." 

"My wingman, Riley," Sam answered. The man's face carried what seemed to be years of pain on it as he continued: "We were running a standard rescue op, when an RPG blasted Riley clean out of the sky. We had done this thing a hundred times before, but that time changed everything." 

Peter took a breath, wiping away tears he only just now realized he had been shedding. "I hadn't known the captain for long, so we weren't really that close, but I watched and listened to his funeral from a distance. The hardest thing was watching his wife have to be strong for their young daughter." Peter closed his eyes as he remembered that day; watching as little Gwen sobbed, cried out, and clung desperately to her mother, who was holding herself together as best she could for her child. That was what had finally broke him; that was what had caused Peter to wage a one man war against the Goblin and his entire army for a time. It had nearly drove him away from everyone else he cared about as a result as well. 

One way or another, Norman had nearly taken everything away from him. 

"I volunteered to be the one to tell Riley's wife about him," Sam said. Peter looked to him, and it was clear now that the more experienced Avenger was also fighting back tears. "Riley had just come back from time at home before that op, and his wife had just found out she was pregnant with their first kid. I just stood there and held her as she lost it. Their kid was never going to know their father." 

"I can't imagine having to have been the one to tell Mrs. Stacy," Peter said. By now, both men had tears streaking down their cheeks. Peter just stood there, his heart heavier than it had been since the days following Captain Stacy's death. He was amazed at how much he was learning about the humanity of his fellow Avengers. For years, he had idolized them as these infallible people who could do no wrong. While he had already learned a great deal about how that was not the case in recent years, he could see now more than ever that they were all just broken people who were still out there, fighting the good fight, trying to make a difference in the world. 

"I think I understand now, kid," Sam said after a moment of silence between them. 

"Look, Sam," Peter said, "I regret letting Smythe and the others get away, but I don't regret saving you guys." 

"I know," Sam replied, walking towards Peter. "And I'm sorry that I made you feel like you should regret that you did. The fact is, I might not still be breathing right now if not for you." 

"So...so we're good?" Peter asked meekly. 

Sam let out a small huff as he responded: "Yeah, we're good." He extended his hand, with Peter taking and shaking it instantly. 

"Well, glad to see you guys made up," a familiar voice came from just around the corner. Peter just smiled and shook his head as Bucky walked down to join them. 

"Wait, wha...kid, did YOU know he was there?" Sam asked incredulously. 

"Sixth sense, plus other enhanced senses...yeah," Peter responded. 

"It's okay," Bucky said. "After all I've been through, I'm the last one to judge about being a crier. Now that we're all on the same page though, I just have one question for you gentlemen: why does it seem like one has to go through a lot of suffering to be a superhero?" 

Peter was joined by Sam in laughing at Bucky's low key accurate assessment of superhero origins. 

"Look guys," Sam spoke up again. "Let's just promise each other that the next time, we'll have each other's backs and stop the psychotic group of mad men we're after. Deal?" 

"Deal," Bucky said, putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam in turn did the same to Bucky, who put a hand on Peter's shoulder, who then put one hand on a shoulder of the other two men. The three of them stood there for a moment, solidified in a unified goal now more than ever. 

"So," Peter spoke up after a moment. "What now? Do we hug too, or..." 

"Definitely not," Sam replied, and all of them separated from each other. 

"Speaking of those bad guys though," Bucky said, "any further thoughts on how to find them, or, maybe, I don't know, what their evil plan is?" 

"Not really," Sam replied. "What about you, Peter?" 

Peter thought about it for a moment. He could feel that they were slowing down, meaning they were likely close to, if not already at the compound. Time was running short. 

"The only thing I keep coming back to is what Smythe said about advancing humanity," he said. 

"Sounds like any evil scientist ever," Sam commented. 

Peter had to admit, it was the ultimate cliche: evil scientists think they are actually saving the world while actually nearly destroying it. He pushed his mind to think harder. There had to be some connection between this guy and the other scientists, but what was it? Clearly, they all must share in his belief of trying to make the world a better place, but why would they...

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Peter's brain. 

"Guys, I have an idea," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, hope you liked it! 
> 
> My thoughts and prayers go out for all of you. Stay as safe and healthy as possible in every way. 
> 
> "As it is, there are many parts, but one body." 1 Corinthians 12:19-26


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why else would these guys join him?" Peter asked, as if it was obvious. 
> 
> "Money, fame, or even power," Hill suggested. 
> 
> Peter shook his head. "I saw a look in Smythe's eyes. He's definitely crazy, but there was such a belief there that what he was doing was important, if not to the world, at least to himself. That doesn't come from the kind of man who sells his cause to one on money. He sells it on change." The fact was that Peter had seen a similar kind of look before: Dr. Connors. He had a feeling that his boss's motivations were a little less insane, but still driven by a fundamentally similar desire: to make up for something they both had lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter has an idea on how to find the Enclave, it takes a while, and Peter learns a surprising truth.

Peter motioned for Sam and Bucky to follow him before quickly darting to another area of the jet to find Fury. After finding the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director and Hill as well, he brought up his idea to everyone. 

"I've been thinking: what if the other scientists joined Smythe because they also have some kind of illness, or another physical impairment maybe?" he questioned. 

"What makes you think that?" Fury questioned, his inquisitive look indicating the question was genuine curiosity at work. 

"Why else would these guys join him?" Peter asked, as if it was obvious. 

"Money, fame, or even power," Hill suggested. 

Peter shook his head. "I saw a look in Smythe's eyes. He's definitely crazy, but there was such a belief there that what he was doing was important, if not to the world, at least to himself. That doesn't come from the kind of man who sells his cause to one on money. He sells it on change." The fact was that Peter had seen a similar kind of look before: Dr. Connors. He had a feeling that his boss's motivations were a little less insane, but still driven by a fundamentally similar desire: to make up for something they both had lost.

"We can't know that for sure, Peter," Fury stated. Before Peter could argue his case further, the man continued: "However, it is something to look into. Hill, see if you can find any medical files on any of them." 

"We should check to see if they shared a common doctor or place of treatment," Bucky added. 

Hill nodded. "I'm on it." 

Fury then turned back to Peter and the others. "If there's anything out there on these guys, we'll find it," he reassured them before going back about his business.

Peter wrung his gloved hands together as the quinjet finally neared the compound, allowing himself just the faintest hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance he and the others could handle this quickly, and he could at least relax on his spring break a little. 

\---

Two days later, and there was still nothing. 

Smythe and the Enclave had done a remarkable job of wiping out seemingly any and all traces of their existence. There wasn't even so much as a birth record on any of them, much less medical records. Satellites weren't picking up anything, no indications of any financial transactions, no security camera footage....nothing. Wherever the Enclave were, they were hunkered down somewhere as off the grid as possible. 

All this did nothing but make Peter anxious. He was hold up at the compound the whole time, with Fury wanting him and the others to stay ready at a moment's notice if there was any sign of them. To kill the time, he focused on either tinkering with his suit/equipment or training. Occasionally Sam and Bucky joined him in the latter, but for the most part he kept to himself, worried than he would accidentally go too hard and hurt one of them in his anxious state. At one point, he completed a situational simulator so fast that Bruce told him he beat Captain America's record ten times over. He did make time to talk to May, M.J. and Ned, which helped some, but it seemed to only be a temporary fix.

As 48 hours officially passed since his suggestion, Peter was tinkering in the lab with his web shooters, yet again finding ways to improve the storage capacity, when Fury entered the room. 

"Any news?" Peter asked anxiously, his eyes wide. 

"No," Fury said, shaking his head. "I just wanted to check on you. Everyone's been training the last couple of days, but the others say that you've been going particularly hard." 

Peter was surprised at the amount of compassion that was coming through in Fury's voice. While Tony had been willing to concede that the man could occasionally show a softer side on rare occasion, his encounter with him last summer had produced none of that. It was more like the opposite: at every turn possible, Fury had been particularly hard on him. Peter understood that the man was trying to help him understand the scope of his responsibilities, but it wasn't exactly very encouraging. Here, however, Fury actually seemed to show genuine concern for Peter's overall well being. 

"I'm just ready to get these guys," Peter said, finishing his latest tweak to his web shooters before standing up to face the man. "By the way, if these guys have no records of any kind, how did you even get wind of them in the first place?" 

"We got a tip from one of their former coworkers after the first theft," Fury said, stepping towards him. As he drew closer, Peter could see something in his eyes that he couldn't quite decipher. There was something going on in the man's mind, that much was certain. He just didn't know what. 

"Is there anything else, sir?" Peter asked, making sure to add that last part. There was still a part of him that was just a little on edge anytime he was around the veteran. 

Fury hesitated, which only made Peter even more nervous, maybe because the man himself actually seemed nervous. If something could make Nick Fury nervous, it definitely made him nervous. 

"Come with me," he finally said, turning and walking out of the room. Peter grabbed his mask that he had set down on a table nearby, just in case, and followed Fury out of the room. The walk was silent and seemed to take forever, even though it was only a minute or so by the time they reached their intended destination. Fury opened the door to what was an office style room. He gestured for Peter so sit on a couch near the wall, himself leaning against a desk. Peter slowly walked over and sat down, not saying a word. He had no idea what was going on, and he couldn't even decipher what kind of vibes he was getting from the whole situation. 

"Peter, there's something you should know," Fury began, looking at Peter with what he could only describe as a quiet intensity, far different from the more wide eyed, angrier Fury he had seen in Prague. "I withheld all of this from you at first, partly because I had somewhere I needed to be, but also because I needed to know how you would handle yourself in certain situations." 

"O-kay," Peter said, trying his best to downplay his nerves at whatever revelation Fury was clearly about to share with him. His world had seen so much change since coming back to life, so what could it be this time? 

"After Stark's funeral, I took some time to process everything that had happened," Fury said. "I had known for years that we were not alone, but I had no idea of the scope of the powers that existed in our universe. I came to a particular conclusion: we couldn't work alone if we were to be better prepared for the next threat, whenever it comes." 

"What are you saying?" Peter asked, his mind now a little less concerned and a lot more curious. 

"I met an alien race several years ago; they call themselves Skrulls," Fury answered. "They're shape shifters, capable of taking on the appearance of anyone they come into contact with. We worked together before, and several months ago I reached out to them again and convinced them that we would need to be ready to work together again, should someone like Thanos show up."

Peter's mind went into overdrive as he tried to process everything he was being told: Nick Fury was now forming intergalactic partnerships in order to counter whatever threat came their way next. He had to admit, that was a lot more than he expected when Fury indicated there was something he wanted to show him. 

Fury then grabbed a small device off the desk he was leaning against, pressing a button. The room suddenly darkened, and Peter turned to see a screen had come up on a wall behind him. He got up off the couch and turned to get a proper look. The projection seemed to be designs for some kind of large space station. Needless to say, Peter was getting serious death star vibes. 

"I haven't come up with some fancy acronym for it yet," Fury said as he walked up and stood next to Peter, "but this space station is hopefully the start of an advanced network that will be able to monitor for threats in a much greater capacity, and distance, then before. We were significantly into its construction when the 'elementals' showed up, so I had to...improvise." 

Peter turned to Fury, his eyes narrowing into something resembling a glare. "What do you mean 'improvise'?" he asked. 

"I wanted to oversee the construction of this place, so I began working with a couple of the skrulls in order to help them to learn to become myself and agent Hill. They had already been on earth for a month when Beck's plan was set in motion." 

Peter took a step back, this sudden revelation hitting him like none of his enemies ever had. 

"So, you and Hill were up there, letting some aliens handle what could've been a world ending crisis down here?" Peter said, his voice beginning to change from shock to anger. 

"We had our eye on the situation," Fury asserted. 

"Clearly not well enough," Peter scoffed. 

"Like I said, we had to work together," Fury asserted. 

"Why are you telling me this now?" Peter questioned, still a bit in shock. 

"Two reasons," Fury said. "First, because I learned the hard way what happens when secrets are kept from the team. Sam and Barnes already know, but like I said, I needed to be sure Stark's faith in you was justified, which is the second reason I am telling you: because I believe it was. Against great odds, you saw through Beck's facade when the others couldn't, and you beat him." 

Peter's mind reeled, his brain desperately trying to play catch up as he put his hands behind his head, staring at nothing in particular. It was all so much to take in: the fact that he was lied to, the fact that Fury didn't trust him at first despite Tony's word, the fact that he would let anyone other than himself take responsibility for a threat to the world...

"I know this is a lot to take in," Fury spoke up, "and I understand if you're angry with me. I suppose you have a right to be." 

Peter turned and look Fury in the eyes, but no words came to mind for him to say. He had a lot of thoughts, but couldn't put them into anything coherent. He just knew he felt betrayed...again. The whole trip to Europe was an experience in how he couldn't just trust anyone, and now it seemed he was being hit with that fact again. 

He was so distracted that it was only his enhanced senses keeping him from jumping when Hill walked into the room behind him. 

"We found something," she announced. 

Fury looked at Peter one last time before following Hill out of the room. Peter lingered for a moment, finally collecting his thoughts and forcing himself to swallow the whole thing for now. He would deal with this new revelation later. Even if he didn't trust Fury or Hill at the moment, he did trust Bucky and Sam, and that was enough. 

It would have to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it! Please, let me know what you think; feedback is always appreciated! 
> 
> My prayers go out for you all. Stay safe and healthy (physically or otherwise) during this crazy time. 
> 
> "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Romans 12:14-16


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter, Sam and Bucky walked up, with Peter pressing the button. After a moment, it dinged, and the elevator opened, so at least they knew it worked. The three of them entered and opted to go down first. A little into their descent, Peter's spider-sense began to go off. 
> 
> "Guys, something's wrong," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and the others catch onto the Enclave's plan and location, M.J, Ned and Betty try to figure out how to get everybody to safety, and a shocking discovery is made.

Peter followed Fury and Hill into the main room of the compound, where they were joined by Sam, Bucky and the strike team from before. As soon as everyone was present, Hill got started. 

"It turns out that Peter was onto something," she began. "We finally managed to dig up some old medical records from a hospital in South Carolina. Smythe was treated there for his injury, and the other members of the Enclave all were there around the same time for various ailments or illnesses: cancer, liver issues, you name it."

"So they're, what, trying to make the ultimate vaccine or something?" Bucky questioned. 

"No," Hill replied, her voice maintaining its even tone. "After further analysis of everything they stole, we think they are building something through which they can design a new body, based in both genetics and robotics, for one to inhabit." 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. 

"It appears the process involves using one's baseline DNA combined with various cybernetics to create the 'body', then transfer one's brainwaves into it," Hill clarified.

"Okay, did you seriously just say that with a straight face?" Sam asked, a sarcastic looking smirk on his face. "I mean, this all sounds like science fiction."

"Wilson, a purple alien wiped out half of all life in the universe with six magical stones and a snap of his fingers," Fury said. "I think we can't count out anything at this point." 

Peter looked over at Sam, who simply nodded, realizing that perhaps Fury had a point. 

"There's something else," Hill continued, "the hospital they were all treated at was abandoned years ago due to multiple doctors being convicted of malpractice. Based on their last known trajectory, it makes sense that this could be their base of operations." 

"Wait, you said South Carolina," Peter said tentatively, a horrifying possibility suddenly at the forefront of his mind. "Where, exactly, in South Carolina?"

"Just at the edge of Myrtle Beach," Hill replied. "I've already spoken to the city's leadership, but they say we should be able to handle this quietly. I think they're afraid of losing business," she added, her face showing evident disgust. 

Peter's face turned pale as he realized what this all meant: his friends were, once again, right in the line of fire. 

"We need to go," he said. "Now."

\---

M.J. sat on her towel she had laid out on her tiny little section of the beach, reading one of the many books she had brought along for the trip. She had never much cared for the water, despite her mom making her take swim lessons when she was younger. Despite Betty and Ned's repeated pleas to come have fun and enjoy the ocean, she found herself perfectly content to just hangout, read, and soak up a little sun. She was dressed in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, and had warned Betty and Ned both that any attempt to throw her in the ocean against her will would be met with dire consequences. 

She had, for the most part, actually enjoyed the trip. They had visited a couple of nice places, she had bought a couple new books to read, and Betty had been just the right kind of roommate: one who gave her plenty of space, but offered some interaction and pleasant conversation to balance it out. The two girls had largely come to an understanding in that way over the course of their friendship, and M.J. appreciated having a friend who knew just how much (or little) to push her into conversation. Still, she deeply missed Peter, and it had been hard coming on the trip at first once she found out about his call to action. However, by the time they had arrived, M.J. had made up her mind that she wasn't going to let it get her down, and she was going to enjoy herself. Besides, if she had stayed home, she wouldn't have been able to see him anyway, so there wouldn't have been any point. He still frequently entered her mind when she thought about the how they were missing out on beach walks and exploring the area together, but there would be other opportunities in the future hopefully. 

Beach walks? Wow, Peter really was turning her into a big pile of mush, something she once swore she would never allow to happen, yet here she was. The funniest part was that she didn't mind at all, finding herself unable to contain her smile at the thought. 

M.J.'s attention was diverted from her book by the feeling her phone vibrating in her lap. She pulled her eyes away from the pages as she looked down, seeing Peter's name and picture come up on her screen. Smiling, she set the book down on her side and picked up the phone. 

"Hey," she answered, her voice carrying it's softer tone she only ever used around Peter. 

"M.J, listen to me very carefully," came Peter's voice, the concern and fear in it almost immediately putting her on edge. "We believe we tracked down where those guys are, and it's an abandoned hospital on the edge of the Myrtle Beach. I need you to get yourself and others indoors." 

M.J.'s mind quickly shifted from its initial panic mode to get things done mode. "Yeah, yeah of course," she said. 

"Thanks," Peter replied. "We're on our way there now. They said we're going to land a distance away, so if all goes according to plan, you probably won't hear or see us."

"Better safe than sorry though," M.J. said. 

"Agreed," Peter replied. 

"Please be careful," she added. 

"You know me, careful is my middle name," Peter joked, before quickly adding: "I will do my best." 

After that the line went dead, so M.J. got up, her mind already running through various ways of getting the class back into the safest place possible. She quickly found Ned and Betty and ran up to them, calling them out of the water. As soon as they set foot on the beach, M.J. told them they needed to talk in a more isolated area. 

"M.J, what's so urgent that it can't wait?" Betty complained. 

"Peter called," M.J. replied. That was all the other two needed; they quickly gathered their towels and went back to an area between buildings just outside of the massive beach. 

"He told me that his Avengers business is bringing him here," M.J. elaborated once they were outside of earshot. "They think that the group of rogue scientists they're tracking are at some abandoned hospital at the edge of the city. We need to get everyone out and inside." 

"Okay, well, we can go talk to Mr. Harrington I guess," Betty replied. 

"Betty, it's not that simple," M.J. replied. "Even if we could come up with some half-baked excuse that convinces him, and we know it won't take much, there are a lot more people other than our class on this beach. We need to get them out too."

"That's going to be a tall order M.J," Ned said. "There are hundreds, probably thousands of people out there. How are we going to get them all out?"

"Any chance you trigger a hurricane alert by hacking into the tower that sends out the emergency siren?" M.J. asked Ned. 

"I'm sure I could, but do you really think everybody's going to go for that?" Ned questioned. "There are only a few clouds in the sky right now, and the forecast is supposed to be nice and sunny all week." 

"It might be our only option," M.J. answered. "If nothing else, hopefully it'll at least annoy some people into going indoors and taking shelter."

"Well, I don't have any better ideas," Betty chimed in. 

"Okay then, looks like that's what we're going with," Ned affirmed. 

They went back to the beach, and Ned grabbed his phone, which he had established some kind of system on. The boy couldn't resist tinkering with and improving any technology he owned, and M.J. was never more grateful for that than in this moment. However, after a few minutes, Ned's face took on a puzzled look, which made M.J.'s stomach turn a little. 

"How's it going?" M.J. asked. 

"Not good," Ned responded. "There's some kind of extra firewall protection there system seems to have that goes far beyond the standard for the National Weather service, or any organization like them. I'm having a hard time getting through it."

"Keep trying," M.J. said. "I don't know how much time we have." 

\---

The quinjet landed in an isolated area outside of the beach. From there, they quickly went underground to avoid being scene, with Peter leading the way once more. They weren't expecting the same trouble as they had encountered on the island, but he had insisted it was better to be safe than sorry in this instance. The smell wasn't pleasant, but hopefully this approach would at least give them the element of surprise. 

Moving cautiously but swiftly, they made their way to the spot just under the hospital. Peter gently lifted the manhole cover, and when he saw nobody around, he quickly jumped out and motioned for the others to come up. Once everybody was out, they operated in a similar instance as before: Peter going with Sam and Bucky to the east entrance, and Fury and the strike team to the west entrance. Peter lead his fellow Avengers along, once more starting through the ventilation system and dropping down at a safe entry point. As they stayed behind a corner for a moment to assess their situation, to Peter's surprise, his spider-sense wasn't going off even a little bit. He peered around the corner, daring to look straight at one of the security cameras, discovering that it wasn't even on. This mean either this location was going to be a dead end, or something much worse. Despite the nervous feeling in his gut, Peter pressed on, still leading the way just in case. 

Eventually, the two groups met up in one of the hallways on the middle floor. 

"You guys see any sign of them?" Fury asked. 

"Not a thing," Sam responded. "Peter noticed the security cameras weren't even on." 

"This place is looking like a dead end," Bucky stated. 

"Well, since this is a main lobby area, they could have an access point here somewhere," Fury said. "Let's do one last search here, just in case." Everybody spread out, searching the room thoroughly. Peter set the system in his mask to detect any structural anomalies. After a couple minutes, it found what appeared to be a false wall. 

"I think I found something," he said to everyone. He gave a push, and a section of the wall opened up, revealing a hidden hallway and what looked like a private elevator. 

"Well that's not shady at all," Bucky joked, though his voice didn't indicate much sarcasm in Peter's mind. 

"Peter, Barnes and I will scout it out first," Sam said. "If we run into anything, we'll radio you."

"Copy that, we'll secure the area," Hill replied. 

Peter, Sam and Bucky walked up, with Peter pressing the button. After a moment, it dinged, and the elevator opened, so at least they knew it worked. The three of them entered and opted to go down first. A little into their descent, Peter's spider-sense began to go off. 

"Guys, something's wrong," he said. He didn't have time to say anything else as the elevator doors opened. They three of them entered cautiously, weapons drawn and wits about them. What they discovered was beyond what they expected: an extremely well set up and intricate lab, and four bodies lying in a pile next to larger, almost monstrous looking version of Alistair Smythe, whose wheelchair was nowhere to be found. 

"Welcome gentlemen," the man said, his voice now sounding more robotic in nature. "I've been waiting for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> My prayers go out for all of you guys. Please, do what you need to do to stay healthy both physically and mentally right now. 
> 
> "The Lord foils the plans of nations..." Psalm 33:10-11


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter had never seen anything like the sight before him. There was Smythe, except he likely at least seven feet tall, with disturbingly pale skin and eyes more yellow than the the sun. His finger and toenails look closer to claws than nails. Whatever he had turned himself into, something told Peter it was not going to be easy to take him in. 
> 
> He turned his attention towards the pile of bodies. "Are those..." he started.
> 
> "My associates?" Smythe replied, finishing his question. Peter still couldn't get over the eerie, almost mechanical sound to his voice. "Yes. With our collective research and my transformation process documented in perfect detail, they had outlived their usefulness." 
> 
> "So, you transform yourself into something out of a generic sci-fi film, then what?" Sam questioned, weapon still drawn and pointed at Smythe. 
> 
> "Now I will show the world what I have accomplished," Smythe said, an almost smug looking smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: the final battle.

Peter had never seen anything like the sight before him. There was Smythe, except he likely at least seven feet tall, with disturbingly pale skin and eyes more yellow than the the sun. His finger and toenails look closer to claws than nails. Whatever he had turned himself into, something told Peter it was not going to be easy to take him in. 

He turned his attention towards the pile of bodies. "Are those..." he started.

"My associates?" Smythe replied, finishing his question. Peter still couldn't get over the eerie, almost mechanical sound to his voice. "Yes. With our collective research and my transformation process documented in perfect detail, they had outlived their usefulness." 

"So, you transform yourself into something out of a generic sci-fi film, then what?" Sam questioned, weapon still drawn and pointed at Smythe. 

"Now I will show the world what I have accomplished," Smythe said, an almost smug looking smile on his face. 

"Yeah, I hate to cancel your plans pal, but you're coming with us," Bucky said, his voice confident. "The question is, will you be smart and come willingly, or do we have to make you?" 

Smythe chuckled, seemingly unfazed by his situation, sending chills down Peter's spine. Not since the Goblin had he run across an enemy so disturbingly confident, regardless of whatever situation they found themselves in. 

"Please," Smythe said, gesturing towards Peter and his allies. "Feel free to take your shot."

There was hesitation, both on Peter's and his allies's part, in response to Smythe's challenge. Something felt off. The man seemed like he was still totally in control, despite being outnumbered and outgunned. 

"Fine," Smythe replied to their collective silence. "Guess it's my move first." Suddenly, in a move so fast it caught Peter by surprise, he disappeared behind some lab equipment. Sam and Bucky both managed to get a couple shots off, but they were woefully behind their target. 

"We advance, slowly," Sam said. Peter started forward with all his senses on high alert, the others on either side of him. They made their way to the place Smythe ducked towards, but saw nothing after rounding the corner. 

"Keep your head on a swivel," Bucky said. "He could be anywhere." 

As soon as Bucky finished speaking, Peter's spider-sense went crazy. "Lookout!" he called out, spinning towards the threat, but it was too late. Flying in from the shadows, Smythe landed hard on the former winter soldier, pinning him to the ground. Peter fired a web towards their enemy, but the man caught it and yanked, pulling him forward. Suddenly Peter found himself held by the throat. 

"Let them go!" Sam shouted. Smythe took that at least partly literally, tossing Peter into the man, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Peter recovered in time to see Bucky try and shoot an elbow behind him into their enemy's leg, but nothing came from it. 

"You're resilience is commendable," Smythe said, grabbing Bucky by the head with his large left hand. "But pointless," he added, grabbing and breaking Bucky's non-robotic arm with his other hand. The man cried out in pain before Smythe tossed him hard against a wall head first, knocking him out. 

"Barnes!" Sam cried out. Smythe turned to them both, clearly ready for more. "Alright kid, keep him distracted while I come in from the side," Sam whispered to Peter. Taking the initiative, Peter ran towards their foe, who charged in return. Timing his move just right, Peter slid in between his foe's legs, quickly springing back to his feet. 

"You went through quiet a bit of effort to get those legs of yours back," Peter quipped, carefully avoiding Smythe's attacks. 

"This is about so much more than healing ailments or curing diseases," Smythe replied, catching Peter off guard and grabbing him by the leg. 

"Yeah, what then?" Peter replied, firing a quick web in Smythe's eyes, causing his enemy to relinquish his grip. 

"Now!" Peter cried, and Sam came flying in, hands equipped with some special taser gloves he had brought along just in case. With his Falcon wings enabling flight, he was able to come in and get a quick hit on Smythe's face, with Peter flying in with a powerful kick. For a few seconds, Sam and Peter alternated blows, but their target quickly recovered, pulling the webbing from his eyes. With lightning quick speed, he grabbed one of Sam's metal wings, slinging him around and slamming him into Peter, who was trying to come in with a kick to knock the man off his feet. Instead, he found himself hitting a nearby wall hard. He looked up to watch as one Smythe ripped off one of Sam's wings, tossing the now out of control Falcon away. Managing to disengage his lone good wing, Sam came crashing down. 

Smythe then turned his attention back to Peter again. "Good, it's just us, exactly how I wanted it," Smythe said. "Come Spider-Man; I need your help to show the results of my work." The man then took off in the other direction, and Peter noticed he hit some button on his way out. He quickly went to check on Sam. 

"Go after him!" Sam instructed. "I'll get Barnes back to the surface!" 

This time not hesitating, Peter took off after Smythe just in time to see him open the way to a separate exit. He barely managed to keep his enemy in view the whole time, but he managed to keep him in view as they followed some kind of tunnel. He had a terrible feeling that he was playing right into his enemy's hands, but he had no choice; he had to follow him and take him down, whatever it took. 

\---

"Any progress," M.J. questioned. 

"Nothing," Ned replied. "This is more than just some virus; someone clearly doesn't want anyone tapping into any kind of alerts." 

M.J. ran her hands through her hair as she stepped away. Now what? She really wanted to get everybody out of there, but should the class have come first? 

"Alright everyone, time to head back to the hotel for dinner!" Mr. Harrington called. M.J. and the others sighed in relief. At least that part was handled, but what about the others? 

She then heard some kind of noise, and looked out ahead of her. She couldn't tell what it was at first, but as it materialized into closer view, she could tell it was some kind of machine.

"We need to go," M.J. said, grabbing both Ned and Betty. "Now!" 

Unfortunately, they were too late. That robot was only the first of many; within seconds, most of the beat was surrounded. M.J. and the others ended up with the rest of the class. 

"Oh man, not again!" one of her fellow students cried out. However, once they were grouped together, there was nothing but silence from the machines. It was as if they were waiting for something. It only took another minute before M.J. found out what, as a large, very pale man came into the picture, leaping from a nearby building and landing in the large open area on the beach that the machines had kept everyone away from. A second later, there was Peter, flying in as Spider-Man, landing across from the other guy. 

"Take him down Spider-Man!" Flash called out. While M.J. was often annoyed with Flash's antics, she really, really hoped that was what would transpire. 

\---

"Why are you doing this?" Peter called out to his enemy. "Look, you want to fight me, that's one thing, but taking all these hostages?" 

"They will spread the word about what happened here today," Smythe replied. "They will see that I have become better than you; the one true spider-slayer. Then, I will show them all how I have unlocked the secret to immortality; I have conquered the way of all flesh!" 

"You're insane, Smythe," Peter shouted back. "You really think anyone is going to want to come within a hundred yards of you after this?" 

Smythe didn't respond, instead lunging towards Peter, who barely got out of the way in time. This didn't seem to set his enemy back at all, who recovered quickly and came after him again, this time landing a punch to the left side of Peter's face, sending him flying and collapsing in a pitiful heap on the sand. 

"Lucky hit," Peter called out, hoping to taunt his foe into doing something foolish. 

"My young friend, nothing about what has happened the last few days has been luck," Smythe replied, walking towards Peter, as calm and collected as ever. When he got close, Peter tried a surprise spin kick, but his foe merely caught it and tossed him off to the side. This time, Peter at least managed to steady himself in his landing. 

"I've been studying you for a long time," Smythe spoke up. "I've examined your speed, reflexes; you even appear to have a cognitive sixth sense of some kind, but I needed to know more. You don't honestly believe that I chose that island for the tropical climate did you? No, I needed Fury to call you in for this special ability of yours to pick up the traps." 

"What for?" Peter asked. Normally he wouldn't have time for a villain's ridiculous monologue, but Smythe had proven he couldn't be caught by surprise that easy. Perhaps if he indulged the man, played to his ego, then maybe, just maybe, an opening would reveal itself. 

"You may have tore through my machines, but they were still able to analyze your speed and strength, which I used as the foundation for my new body, with some cybernetic enhancements," Smythe replied. "I am now your superior." 

"Yeah, then prove it!" Peter challenged. He was trying to run through some ideas in his head as to how to handle this, but he was coming up empty. Besides, he tended to figure stuff out better on the fly anyway. 

Smythe ran towards him, lunging quickly at him from close range. Again narrowly avoiding him by the narrowest of margins, Peter quickly stomped his enemy's back, slamming him into the sand. This elicited some cheers from the crowd. Peter then jumped up, clasping his fists together to come down onto Smythe's head with, but instead was caught off guard by the man grabbing him by his fists. He then proceeded to lay punch after punch into Peter, first to the gut, then one to the face, which he was pretty sure broke his nose. Smythe then slammed Peter side to side, back and forth into the ground, before tossing him away again. 

Peter grasped at his ribs, which were in agonizing pain. He felt out of breath from the assault; if he could just get a moment, but his enemy wouldn't allow it. He tried to get out of the way of Smythe's next attack, but couldn't quite muster the energy to do so, taking a punch to the chin, sending him landing almost in the water this time. As he staggered to get up, knowing full well his foe would be coming again any second, Peter's mind raced to find a solution to this. In many of his other fights, he had at least been able to land his share of blows, often putting his enemies on the defensive more often than not. 

This was much different; Smythe was stronger, faster, and at least every bit as smart as he was, if not more son. He couldn't quit, but no solution was presenting itself either as his attacker lunged for him once more.

\---

M.J. could only watch in horror as Peter took a beating like nothing she had ever seen before. This was the first time he seemed truly outmatched by an enemy, with seemingly nothing working in his favor. Tears started to form in her eyes as she felt more powerless than she had in her entire life. She desperately wanted to run out there and do something, but what could she do against someone Peter couldn't even handle? Maybe, if she could just find a way to by him some time to recover...

She glanced over at the machine that was keeping them in line. M.J. was worried if she went out there, or did anything to try and get they guy's attention, the machines would attack her and the class, and she wasn't willing to risk that. However, when she looked at it more carefully, she realized there was something off about how still it was. The man-sized thing almost looked frozen, like...

Like it was shut down. 

She then glanced over to Ned, who she hadn't even realized had been on his phone the whole time. 

"Did you do something?" she whispered. 

"Yeah; the same system that was blocking my way into the the alert also seemed to be controlling these things," Ned explained. "I managed to hack into one of the individual robot's mechanisms, and it opened the door for the rest." Ned put his phone down as he looked out towards the fight. 

"Still not sure how that helps him though," Ned said. "Come on man." 

M.J. could tell Ned had been fighting back tears through the whole thing as well, but he had found away to help. It was time she did the same. Looking around, she found a few decent sized rocks nearby. With the threat of the machines surrounding them out of the way, if she could just buy Peter even a little bit of extra time...

\---

Another blow to the gut, and Peter simply dropped to the ground, collapsing in the sand. So much had been against him here: no buildings to swing from, a stronger and faster enemy, but he had always found a way to win before. However, for the first time, he was beginning to doubt that was possible. His confidence wavering, he managed to look up at Smythe, who was about was raising his fists, surely about to lay another blow to him, possibly the last one. Suddenly, something unexpected happened, a rock came in and hit his enemy in the side of the head. The man glanced away in the direction the object had come from, and Peter followed the direction as well. He was mortified when he saw none other than M.J, who was now a few feet ahead of the rest of the class, with a few more stones in her hand.

Peter's enemy turned and started to walk towards her, chuckling. "Oh my dear," he said as M.J. threw another rock at him. "It's admirable that you want to stand up for a hero, but still foolish." Peter watched as he approached M.J; he could hear a few of the class, as well as Mr. Harrington calling at her to come back and get behind them, but instead, she just stared the man in the eyes refusing to back down. However, as Smythe drew near to her, M.J.'s eyes made contact with Peter's and she seemed to be mouthing something to him. After a second time, it clicked. 

"Don't quit." 

Steadying his arms to force himself upward, Peter got himself to where his knees and forearms could support him. 

"Hey!" he called out. This served to get Smythe's attention back on him, as the man spun around. "Is that all you got?" Peter continued, sitting up on his knees. 

"Fine," Smythe replied, looking a little agitated for the first time in the fight. He turned and ran back to Peter. "I guess I'll deal with her after you!" The man then threw a powerful punch, but Peter managed to steady himself and catch it with both hands. Straining against his opponent's strength, Peter still managed to hold him back. Fueled by anger at the thought of his girlfriend's life being threatened, his body was running on nothing but the adrenaline that comes from pure, unadulterated rage. Hopefully it could at least power him through...

Power! That was it! Remembering Smythe mentioning that his new body was cybernetically enhanced, he knew what he had to do. Using his enemy's strength against him, Peter flipped back and pulled the man towards him, sending him flying back. While he was still in the air, Peter fired several rounds of webbing into the him, each one latching onto a spot on his midsection. Quickly tapping the spider on his chest, electricity came flowing out of his web shooters, pouring into his foe's body. While it clearly caused the man pain, he still managed to tear lose from the webs. 

"Trying to electrocute my cybernetics? Clever," Smythe conceded. "But this body also contains organic material, plus a significant layer of insulation."

"Then I guess I just need more voltage," Peter said, finally steadying himself to his feet. Spotting power lines just behind the beach area, he waited as Smythe charge towards him again. Waiting until the absolute last minute, Peter jumped to the side, while also firing a web at the man's leg. Pulling the web taught with both hands, Peter swung him around twice before tossing him hard straight into the power lines. Almost as soon as he made contact with them, Smythe's body was met with a powerful surge of electricity, and Peter could hear the man cry out even from there. Eventually, Smythe's body dropped from the lines, hitting the ground. Moving as quickly as his exhausted and battered body could carry him, Peter ran up to the man to see what kind of condition he was in. Initially lifeless, the man then slowly staggered to his feet. Peter's fists clenched as he braced himself for another attack. However, after only taking a couple of steps, his foe's body began to twist and convulse in certain areas, the electricity having likely fried several key points. Finally, Smythe dropped the ground, this time showing no signs of getting up. Just to be on the safe side, Peter pinned him down with a few particularly placed webs. 

It was at that time, when all was said and done, that he looked up and saw Fury, Wilson, and the strike team come running onto the scene. Fury stopped and looked down at Smythe's limp body, before looking back at Peter. 

"Look who f-finally dec-cided to show..." Peter couldn't even finish the sentence, his body having reached its breaking point. The last thing he remembered was falling down as darkness overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> My prayers go out for all of you. Please, stay safe and healthy during this insane time. 
> 
> "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" John 14: 1-6


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "OW, easy," Peter said, grimacing slightly.
> 
> "Sorry, sorry!" M.J. apologized frantically, pulling back. She tried to return her face to it's natural blunt, sarcastic look as she added, "For the record, the answer to your question is that you almost got yourself killed again. It's quite a nasty habit of yours." 
> 
> Peter chuckled. "Well, it is kind of an occupational hazard, but I can promise you I'm working on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter talks with everyone, and finally gets the rest he needs.

Peter slowly opened his eyes, his mind coming back to functioning again. The last thing he remembered was electrocuting Smythe, then Fury and the the others arriving on the scene...he figures he must've passed out after that, since he didn't remember anything else, except that his class was there too. He was pretty sure he saved them, but was a little foggy on the details. He glanced to his left, noticing a machine monitoring his vitals. He then glanced to his other side, noticing two other people were in the room with him: May, who was sitting in a chair right next to his medical bed looking down at something, and M.J, who was in the corner, her nose buried beneath a book. The sight of two of his favorite people made him smile. 

"Okay, anytime BOTH of you are giving me the silent treatment, something is seriously wrong," Peter stated. "What'd I do?" 

May almost jumped out of her skin in shock before exuding a sigh of relief, and M.J. dropped her book to her lap before discarding it entirely, moving quickly out of her chair and bending over the bed to give him a hug. 

"OW, easy," Peter said, grimacing slightly.

"Sorry, sorry!" M.J. apologized frantically, pulling back. She tried to return her face to it's natural blunt, sarcastic look as she added, "For the record, the answer to your question is that you almost got yourself killed again. It's quite a nasty habit of yours." 

Peter chuckled. "Well, it is kind of an occupational hazard, but I can promise you I'm working on it." 

"You really gave us a scare there, Peter," May said. 

"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologized. 

"Don't worry Mrs. Parker," Dr. Cho interjected as she walked into the room, pulling Peter's attention to her. "Peter is going to be fine." 

"How long was I out?" Peter asked. 

"About 14 hours," Cho replied. "Your body was working on repairing your two cracked ribs while also dealing with your concussion and injured cheekbones." 

"Wow, is that all?" Peter asked half-sarcastically. 

"Thankfully, yes," Cho answered. "Luckily, your body's healing factor has already done most of the work; our most recent examinations showed your ribs are significantly better and your concussion should also be gone with a little more rest. Your cheekbones are basically good as new, though they'll probably still be a little sore for a while. Bottom line, you need your rest, Mr. Parker." 

"Thank you doctor," May replied. Dr. Cho nodded and said she would give them all their space. She started to leave the room before Peter called out. 

"Oh, Dr. Cho? What about Sam and Bucky? Are they okay?" he asked. 

As if they were waiting for the right time to make their entrances, the two men in question walked into the room. 

"Don't worry kid, we're good," Bucky said. His arm was in a sling, but other than that both men seemed to be in good shape considering everything. 

"You just need to worry about yourself," Sam added. 

"Yeah, he's never been too good at that," M.J. interjected, giving Peter a knowing look. He shook his head and smiled at her calling him out before turning his attention back to the two men. 

"What happened with Smythe anyway?" Peter asked. "I didn't..."

"Kill him?" Bucky finished for him. "No. The voltage you put into him shut down a lot of his body functions, but he's still alive. He's contained; they're just trying to figure out what exactly to do with him." 

Peter let out just the slightest sigh of relief. While he wanted to stop Smythe, he didn't want to kill anybody, even him. 

"I'm glad you two are okay," he said. 

"We've been through worse than this man," Sam interjected. "We'll be fine." The man then approached closer to Peter's bedside, and he looked down for a moment, like he was trying to figure out how to say something he felt was important. 

"Listen, Peter," Sam said, "I just wanted to say you did good out there. I think...I think Tony would be really proud of who you're becoming." 

The genuine nature of Sam's words struck Peter to his very soul. Even though he didn't know Sam, hearing someone who had fought with the both of them say that...it meant the world to him. 

"Thank you," Peter said, moving his right arm across his body to offer his hand to shake. As Sam took it, Peter added: "I have no doubt that Cap would be proud of you too." 

There wasn't a lot of reaction in Sam's face, but Peter could tell by the slightest faltering look in the man's normally steady face that he struck a cord with him as well. 

"If you ever need anything kid, just let us know," Sam said. 

"I will, thank you," Peter replied. Sam and Bucky then took their leave, and not even a second later, Fury walked in. 

"Was there a line out there or something?" Peter joked. 

"I'll try and be brief," Fury said. 

"Dr. Cho said Peter needs his rest," May insisted. Peter glanced over at his aunt, whose face was hardened and steadfast. Whenever May went into protective mode, Peter was pretty sure not even Thor could stop her. 

"May, it's okay," he said. His aunt looked at him with eyes that insisted it wasn't, but she relented anyway after a moment. 

"I know we didn't get to finish our conversation before, but..." Fury stalled in his response. The man had a reputation for being straight to the point and always certain of himself, but here he seemed like he was really mulling over what he needed to say. Whatever it was, it needed to be good. While he had managed to swallow the implications of what Fury had shared with him before they took down Smythe, he hadn't forgotten about the whole thing. 

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about how things went down that week," Fury said. "Maybe if it had actually been me here, things would've been different." 

"What are you talking about?" May questioned, anger brewing in her voice. She started to rise out of her seat, but Peter quickly grabbed her hand. 

"We'll talk about it later," Peter insisted. He understood why May was upset, but he was too tired to allow a full blown argument to take place in the room, even if it would probably just be his aunt ripping into the man. She slowly sat down, seemingly coming to the same understanding. He then turned to Fury.

"Look, I understand keeping secrets," Peter conceded, "but not from each other. Not about something like that." 

"I know," Fury acknowledged, stepping closer to the side of the bed. "With Tony and Steve both gone, I've been thinking back a lot on everything that has happened, all my experiences over those years. I still believe the world needs to be protected, and there is still little I won't do to make sure of that. I'm just...I'm working on how not to be so controlling and secretive about it."

"I'd appreciate that," Peter acknowledged. 

"I hope so," Fury said, "especially since I'd like you to be a part of the team full time after you graduate." 

Peter was taken aback. "Wait, you mean that..."

"I don't know who it will consist of yet, but yes," Fury replied. "Like I said, the world still needs saving, and the Avengers did that more a while. A team like that could come again." 

Peter looked down at the bed for a moment. To think, he'd been offered membership at one point, then granted it by necessity later on...for so long that was what he wanted. Now...

"Thank you, Mr. Fury," Peter said, "but I still think I do best as a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." 

"I understand," Fury said. "Just know that if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Fury then offered his hand to shake, which Peter accepted. Fury then took his leave, and this time, nobody else came in. Peter let his head sink into the pillow for a moment, finally enjoying some peace. 

"Sounds like you made quite an impression on them this week," May said. Peter looked over at her to see that she was smiling a proud smile.

"I'm just glad things worked out in the end," Peter replied. 

M.J.'s phone then went off. She walked back to grab it off the small table she had set it on. 

"It's Ned. I think it's for you," she said, walking over and handing him the phone. He accepted the face time call, and soon he was greeted by the face of his best friend. 

"Hey man, you alright?" Ned said. 

"Still in one piece, for the most part anyway," Peter affirmed. 

"Good," Ned replied. "I would've been there too, but they said a max of two could be there, and I figured it would be ungentlemanly of me to force out one of the ladies." 

Peter chuckled. "Glad you're still keeping chivalry alive," he said. "Is everyone else okay?" 

"Yeah man; Mr. Harrington booked us all tickets to go home early, so we're all back now," Ned said. "Flash wouldn't stop freaking out the whole way about whether or not Spider-Man would make it or not. I think he might've actually passed out from being so worked up on the way back at some point. In any case, I'm sure he'll be as happy as anybody to know you're alive." 

Peter shook his head. While he and Flash at least seemed to at least slightly be making amends of late, with the former bully providing occasional updates on his mom's health, it was never going to amount to his infatuation with Spider-Man. Honestly, it was almost concerning. 

"Well, I'll be out there swinging around again before he knows it," Peter said. They talked for a little bit longer, with M.J. pointing out the part Ned played in shutting down Smythe's machines, which he was quite proud of, but most of the time was Ned freaking out about different points in the battle and asking questions. After a little while though, May mentioned that Peter needed to rest, so they the best friends said there goodbyes and ended their call. 

"Alright," May said as she got up and gathered her things. "Happy said he'll come by to take you home later today. M.J, I'm leaving him in your care until then. Make sure he rests."

"Oh don't worry May," M.J. said confidently, "I got this." May smiled, giving Peter a gentle kiss on the forehead and saying goodbye before leaving the room. M.J. took the opportunity to come sit down at the seat May was at. As she did, Peter noticed she looked like something was bothering her, even if she was genuinely happy overall. 

"You okay?" Peter asked. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? You're alive, they're alive, everybody is alive and well," she replied. 

"M.J." Peter said. She looked down for a moment before looking back at him, this time with a less cheerful look. 

"After you called, I brought in Ned and Betty on what was going on, and we thought we came up with a way to get everybody out of there, but it didn't work," she admitted. 

"That's because Smythe was prepared," Peter said. "You can't blame yourself for something that you didn't have control over."

"It's not about that," M.J. said, and it was at this point that he remembered it was wiser not to try and correct right away, so he simply nodded for her to continue this time. 

"Part of me just can't help but think that my first priority should've been getting the class out of danger," she continued. "That way, at least someone would've been safe." 

Peter hesitated, trying to make sure he had the right words for what he felt he needed to say. 

"Your first instinct was to keep everybody safe," he said. "Believe me, if anyone gets that, it's me." 

"How do you deal with those kind of decisions?" M.J. asked. "How do you deal handle so many lives being in danger all the time?" 

"It's definitely not easy," Peter answered. "I guess I just keep doing my best and hope that's enough. It hasn't always been, but I just know that I can't give up. You didn't."

"What do you mean?" M.J. questioned, narrowing her brow in confusion. 

"You bought me time," Peter replied. "You saved my life." 

"That's different," she insisted. "It was you." 

"True," Peter acknowledged, "but you could've still lost your confidence, but instead, you still found a way to help, even if it was really dangerous and almost gave me a heart attack in the process." 

M.J. chuckled. "Like you don't do that to me almost every day," she teased. 

"Fair point," Peter admitted. "I guess what I'm just trying to say is you just have to learn. If anything, all this just reminds me that you have one of the best hearts of anyone I know."

M.J. smiled in response, her cheeks turning a shade of red at his compliment. "Thanks, but I don't know about that," she said. 

"I do," he replied. 

M.J. took his hand in her's leaning her head against it. She was looking straight into Peter's eyes, and something about it was almost mesmerizing to him. Okay, it was M.J, so this happened often, but still, there was something about looking into her deep, dark eyes that transported him to another place; somewhere where there were no villains to fight and nothing wrong with the world. 

"Well, I should probably try and rest, before the others come back," he finally admitted. "Promise you'll stay here, unless, you know, you have to go to the bathroom, or an emergency comes up or something like..."

He was stopped in her words by her lips merging with his, sapping any desire to say anything. After they separated, she rested her head on her arms over the bed. 

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, the words combined with her smile producing a warm feeling in Peter's stomach. He slowly turned his head back over, facing straight up again. This week had been not what he expected, for sure, but at least he could relish in a happy ending. 

He finally allowed his eyes to close, a peaceful sleep coming over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, another one down! 
> 
> Only a couple tales left for Peter's senior year. The first will be a prom centric one shot, so expect a heavy, heavy dose of Spideychelle. After that, the final story will take place. Man, what a ride this has been. 
> 
> Thank you to tall who have left kudos, comments, subscriptions, etc. I do not take your readership likely, and I hope I can continue to write in a way that is worthy of it! 
> 
> My prayers for you all. Stay safe and healthy out there! 
> 
> "He told them, 'this is what is written'," Luke 24:44-49

**Author's Note:**

> I know this sounds like basically the exact set up as Far From Home, but I hope you stick with it anyway. There will be plenty of differences as things move along. 
> 
> Hope you all liked it! 
> 
> My prayers to everyone as we continue to navigate these crazy times together. I hope that my stories can continue to entertain, and maybe even inspire a little, during such a time as this. 
> 
> "Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow..." Psalm 126:6


End file.
